Captain Hugh Crow, in his "Narrative of my Life," tells a story of this kind which goes to show how tender the monkeys are to one another. On board his ship were a number of monkeys, of different kinds and sizes, among them a beautiful little one, only about ten inches long and no larger in body than a common drinking glass.
It was a playful little thing and a great favorite with the other monkeys, who looked on it as the pet of the family, treating it with a kindly feeling which they did not often show for one another. It became sick at length, of a disease that prevailed in the ship, and then their kindness and tenderness were doubled. He says:
"It was truly affecting and interesting to see with what anxiety and tenderness they tended and nursed the little creature. A struggle often ensued among them for priority in these offices of affection, and some would steal one thing and some another which they would carry to it untasted, however tempting it might be to their own palates. Then they would take it up gently in their fore-paws, hug it to their breasts, and cry over it as a fond mother would over her suffering child.
"The little creature seemed sensible of their kind attention, but it was sadly overcome by sickness. It would sometimes come to me and look me pitifully in the face and moan and cry like an infant, as if it besought me to give it relief; and we did everything we could think of to restore it to health; but in spite of the united attention of its kindred tribes and ourselves the interesting little creature did not survive long."
Sir James Malcolm tells us of two monkeys on shipboard, one older and larger than the other. They were not related, but merely friends, but were very fond of each other. One day the small monkey fell overboard. The older one was in a great excitement. It ran to the part of the ship which is called "the bend," held on to the side of the vessel with one hand, and dropped down to the other the end of a cord with which it had been tied up and which was fastened round its waist. Every one looked on with surprise at this display of monkey wit, but the cord was too short and the little one swept by. It is pleasant, however, to be able to say that it was saved by a sailor, who threw it a longer rope, which it seized and was drawn on board.
The monkey becomes as fond of its human friends as it is of those of its own race. Often it does not like certain people, and has its own way of showing this, but there are others whom it seems to love warmly. This faculty does not belong only to monkeys, but may be seen in dogs and other animals. But it is often strongly shown by the monkey.
Darwin tells of a keeper in the London Zoölogical Garden, who one day was attacked by a savage baboon. In the cage was a little American monkey, a great friend of the keeper, but very much afraid of the great baboon. But when the poor little thing saw its friend in peril it sprang at once to the rescue and by screams and bites so distracted the baboon that the keeper was able to escape. The little monkey quite forgot its fear of the fierce beast when it saw its friend in danger.
We rarely think what depth of feeling such an animal as the monkey may have. There are cases in which none of ourselves could show greater feeling. Here is a case in point.
On board a war-vessel that was going to Persia was a pet monkey of the captain, a gentle, kindly little creature that was made much of by every one on the ship. But like all of its kind it was not free from love of mischief. There was a goat kept on board to supply milk for the use of a government official on the ship. One morning it was found that the monkey had tied the goat to the tackle of a gun and milked it into the stiff hat of a marine.