HOW MONKEYS TAKE REVENGE
Many stories might be told of monkeys that take revenge on those who treat them badly. One or two of these may be worth telling. There is one story of a gentleman who kept a pet monkey and lived next door to a widow lady who had three boys, all fond of mischief.
These boys were at home from school for the holidays and spent much of their time in teasing the monkey, in such ways as throwing lighted fire-crackers at him and giving him nuts filled with pepper and mustard.
The little sufferer did not forget. When the boys set out on their return to school the monkey watched them from a hiding place till they were well out of the way. Then he crept slyly along the balcony till he came to a window of the widow's house, looked in to see that there was no one about, then went in, found a bottle of ink on the table, and sprinkled the ink widely over the carpet and furniture. He was caught at the trick, handed over to his master, and soundly whipped. But he had his revenge for the nuts and crackers.
Here is a tale of a jealous monkey. His master, who made a great pet of him, belonged to a yacht club and used to take him along when out on a cruise. Every one on board petted him and he felt that he was folks like all the rest and a gentleman of importance.
But the time came when the monkey found his nose out of joint. This time there was a pretty girl on board and the attention that had been given to Master Pug was given to her. She said that she did not like monkeys, so our little friend had to keep in the background, a thing which he did not like at all.
Master Pug waited his chance for revenge on the girl who did not like monkeys. The party on the yacht went ashore to see some caves and he managed to slip into the boat unseen and go with them. Keeping his eye open for chances, he spied a large crab, which he picked up and put against the young lady's heel. In an instant it gripped her with its strong claw and she gave a loud scream of pain. The monkey got a whipping, for some one had seen him in the act, but very likely he felt that he had got even.
Monkeys do not forget easily and will often bear malice for a long time. A lady named Mrs. Lee, when at the zoölogical garden in Paris, saw a big ape in a cage ill treating one of his fellows. To stop him she tapped him smartly on the hands. This the savage creature did not forget nor forgive. Whenever he saw her at later times in the monkey house, or even heard her voice, he would fly into a passion, roll about his cage in rage, and once when she came within reach he seized her gown through the bars of his cage and tore out a piece of it, though it was of strong material.
Shall we tell the story of one that acted in a cruel manner? He was kept tied to a stake in the grounds and the crows of the neighborhood often robbed him of his food. He got the best of the robbers in a way very artful, even for a monkey.
Feeding Monkeys at the Zoölogical Garden
One day he lay on the ground quite still, as if he was dead. The birds came near and picked at his food but the cunning little rascal never stirred. Growing bolder, the crows approached until one of them was within reach. In an instant the monkey made a quick grab and caught the culprit. Holding his prisoner firmly, he pulled out its feathers until not one was left in its naked body. Then he flung it towards its companions, who were screaming with rage and fear. At once, for reasons best known to the crow community, they made a fierce attack on their featherless comrade and pecked it to death. Those who saw this affair say that the delight on the monkey's face, as he saw this, was too great to be described.