se happy days. If we were
happy there, are we not happy _here_?--There's no change in us--except,
indeed, that Jack has become a gorilla."

"Ay, and you a monkey," retorted Jack.

"True; and Ralph a naturalist, which is the strangest beast of all,"
added Peterkin.--"Can you tell me, Ralph, by the way, what tree that
is?"

"I'm sure I cannot tell. Never saw or heard of one like it before," I
replied, looking at the tree referred to with some interest. It was a
fine tree, but the great beauty about it was the gorgeous fruit with
which it was laden. It hung in the form of bunches of large grapes, and
was of the brightest scarlet colour. The glowing bunches seemed like
precious gems glittering amongst the green foliage, and I observed that
a few monkeys and several parrots were peeping at us through the
branches.

"It seems good for food," said Jack. "You'd better climb up, Peterkin,
and pull a few bunches. The puggies won't mind you, of course, being
one of themselves."

"Ralph," said Peterkin, turning to me, and deigning no reply to Jack,
"you call yourself a naturalist; so I suppose you are acquainted with
the habits of monkeys, and can turn your knowledge to practical
account."

"Well," I replied, "I know something about the monkey tribes, but I
cannot say that at this moment I remember any particular habit of which
we might avail ourselves."

"Do you not? Well, now, that's odd. I'm a student of nature myself,
and I have picked up a little useful knowledge in the course of my
travels. Did you ever travel so far as the Zoological Gardens in
London?"

"Of course I have done so, often."

"And did you ever observe a peculiar species of monkey, which, when you
made a face at it, instantly flew into a towering passion, and shook the
bars of its cage until you expected to see them broken?"

"Yes," said I, laughing; "what then?"

"Look here, you naturalist, and I'll put a wrinkle on your horn. Yonder
hangs a magnificent bunch of fruit that I very much desire to possess."

"But it's too high to reach," said I.

"But there's a monkey sitting beside it," said Peterkin.

"I see. You don't expect him to pull it and throw it down, do you?"

"Oh no, certainly not; but--" Here Peterkin stepped up to the tree, and
looking up at the monkey, said, "O-o-o-oo-o!" angrily.

"_O-o-o-oo-oo_!" replied the monkey, stretching out its neck and looking
down with an expression of surprise and indignation, as if to sa