In a playful manner he would roll on deck with the child, as if in a mock combat, pushing with his feet, (in which action he possessed great muscular power,) entwining his long arms around her, and pretending to bite; or, seizing a rope, he would swing towards her, and, when efforts were made to seize him, would elude the grasp by swinging away; or he would, by way of changing the plan of attack, drop suddenly on her from the ropes aloft, and then engage in various playful antics. He would play in a similar manner with adults; but finding them usually too strong and rough for him, he preferred children, giving up his games with them, if any adults joined in the sports at the same time.
If, however, an attempt was made by the child to play with him, when he had no inclination, or after he had sustained some disappointment, he usually made a slight impression with his teeth on her arm, just sufficient to act as a warning, or a sharp hint, that no liberties were to be taken with his person; or, as the child would say, “Ungka no like play now.” Not unfrequently, a string being tied to his leg, the child would amuse herself by dragging the patient animal about the deck: this he would good-naturedly bear for some time, thinking, perhaps, it amused his little playmate; but finding it last longer than he expected, he became tired of that fun, in which he had no share, except in being the sufferer; he would then make endeavours to disengage himself and retire. If he found his efforts fruitless, he would quietly walk up to the child, make an impression with his teeth, in a ratio of hardness according to his treatment: that hint soon terminated the sport, and procured him his liberty.
There were also on board the ship several small monkeys, with whom Ungka was desirous of forming interesting conversaziones, to introduce a social character among the race, wile away the tedious hours, which pass but tardily in a ship, and dissipate the monotony of the voyage: to this the little monkeys would not accede; they treated him as an outcast, and all cordially united to repel the approaches of the “little man in black,” by chattering, and various other hostile movements peculiar to them.
Ungka, thus repelled in his kind endeavours to establish something like sociality amongst them, determined in his own mind to annoy and punish them for their impudence; so, the next time they united, as before, in a body, on his approach, he watched the opportunity, and when one was off his guard, seized a rope, and, swinging towards him, caught him by the tail, and hauled away upon it, much to the annoyance of the owner, who had no idea that such a retaliation was to take place; he continued pulling upon it, as if determined to detach it, until the agility and desperation of the monkey, at being so treated, obliged him to relinquish his hold. But it not unfrequently happened that he made his way up the rigging, dragging the monkey by the tail after him, and thus made him follow his course most unwillingly. If in his ascent he required both hands, he would pass the tail of his captive into the prehensile power of his foot. It was the most grotesque scene imaginable, and will long remain in the remembrance of those who witnessed it, and was performed by Ungka with the most perfect gravity of countenance, whilst the poor suffering monkey grinned, chattered, twisted about, making the most strenuous endeavours to escape from his opponent’s grasp. His countenance, at all times a figure of fun, now had terror added to it, increasing the delineation of beauty; and when the poor beast had been dragged some distance up the rigging, Ungka, tired of his labour, would suddenly let go his hold on the tail, when it would require some skill on the part of the monkey to seize a rope, to prevent his receiving a compound fracture by a rapid descent on deck. Ungka, having himself no caudal extremity, knew well that he was perfectly free from any retaliation on the part of his opponents.
As this mode of treatment was far from being either amusing or instructive to the monkeys, they assembled together in an executive council, where it was determined, that in future the “big black stranger,” who did not accord with them in proportions, and who demeaned himself by walking erect, wearing no tail, and was in several other respects guilty of unmonkey-like conduct, should be for the future avoided and treated with contempt; and should he again think proper to assault any of the body, they should all unite, and punish him for his violent conduct. Ungka, when again he made any attempt to renew his amusement of pulling tails, met with such a warm reception from all the little creatures assembled, that he found it necessary to give up tale bearing, and devote himself to other pursuits. He had, however, such an inclination to draw out tales, that being obliged from “peculiar circumstances” to relinquish those of the monkeys, he cultivated the friendship of a little clean pig that ran about the deck, and, taking his tail in hand, endeavoured, by frequent pulling, to reduce it from a curled to a straight form; but all his efforts were in vain, although piggy did not express any ill-feeling at his kind endeavours.
When dinner was announced by the steward, and the captain and officers assembled in the cuddy, then Ungka, considering himself as also one of the mess, would be seen bending his steps towards the cuddy, and entering took his station, on a corner of the table, between the captain and myself; there he remained waiting for his share of the food, considering that we were all in duty and humanity bound to supply him with a sufficiency of provender. When from any of his ludicrous actions at table we all burst out in loud laughter, he would vent his indignation at being made the subject of ridicule, by uttering his peculiar hollow barking noise, at the same time inflating the air sac, and regarding the persons laughing with a most serious look, until they had ceased, when he would quietly resume his dinner.
The animal had an utter dislike to confinement, and was of such a social disposition as always to prefer company, to being left alone: when shut up his rage was very violent, throwing every thing about that was lying near, or that he could move, in his place of confinement, but becoming perfectly quiet when released. When the animal was standing with his back towards the spectator, his being tail-less, and standing erect, gave him the appearance of a little black hairy man; and such an object might easily have been regarded by the superstitious as one of the infernal imps.
When he walks, to use a nautical phrase, “he sways the body,” and stepping at once on the whole of the under surface of the foot, occasions a pattering noise, like that which is heard when a duck, or any aquatic bird, walks on the deck of a ship.
When the weather is cold, he may be seen huddled together, loses all his lively and playful manner, sleeping much during the day, and giving up all kind of exercise. Like the Lascars, who, as long as the weather is hot, are capable of any duty, but when they arrive in a northern climate, exposed to the bleak winds, they sink into a state of inaction, from which it is almost impossible to rouse them; and many perish, as much from the want of exercise as from the effects of climate.[56] The return of warm weather imparted life to the animal, his activity returned, his spirits revived, and his gambols and sportive gaiety were resumed.