Oddly enough, the monkey did not appear to be the least bit startled. Looking Jack in the eye, he stared at him solemnly for a space of seconds, then with both tiny hands gripping it, he held out the banana.
“Somebody’s pet!” Stew exclaimed.
“He sure is!” Jack agreed. “And look! There’s a silver chain around his neck!”
“Here, monk!” Going closer, he patted his shoulder, and said in a quiet voice:
“Jump, boy, jump!”
And the monkey jumped. A moment later the little monkey was nestled in Jack’s arms.
“What do you know about that!” Stew exclaimed.
“And what do you know about this?” Jack echoed. “This chain on his neck is tagged. Why, it’s the identification disk of an Army nurse. What do you suppose that means?”
“Might mean almost anything,” said Stew. “Perhaps she came ashore here, shipwrecked, or something, and the natives ate her.”
“That, in my estimation, is out,” Jack said, stroking the monkey’s head.