ng first--
perhaps to try the strength of the bridge. Then went the mothers
carrying their young on their backs, and after them the rest of the
band.

It was quite an amusing scene to witness, and the behaviour of the
monkeys would have caused any one to laugh. Even Guapo could not
restrain his mirth at seeing those who formed the bridge biting the
others that passed over them, both on the legs and tails, until the
latter screamed again!

The old chief stood at the near end and directed the crossing. Like a
brave officer, he was the last to pass over. When all the others had
preceded him, he crossed after, carrying himself in a stately and
dignified manner. None dared to bite at his legs. They knew better
than play off their tricks on him, and he crossed quietly and without
any molestation.

Now the string still remained suspended between the trees. How were the
monkeys that formed it to get themselves free again? Of course the one
that had clutched the branch with his arms might easily let go, but that
would bring them back to the same side from which they had started, and
would separate them from the rest of the band. Those constituting the
bridge would, therefore, be as far from crossing as ever!

There seemed to be a difficulty here--that is, to some of our
travellers. To the monkeys themselves there was none. They knew well
enough what they were about, and they would have got over the apparent
difficulty in the following manner:--The one at the tail end of the
bridge would simply have let go his hold, and the whole string would
then have swung over and hung from the tree on the opposite bank, into
which they could have climbed at their leisure. I say they _would_ have
done so had nothing interfered to prevent them from completing the
manoeuvre. But an obstacle intervened which brought the affair to a
very different termination.

Guapo had been seated along with the rest, gravatana in hand. He showed
great forbearance in not having used the gravatana long before, for he
was all the while quite within reach of the araguatoes; but this
forbearance on his part was not of his own free-will. Don Pablo had, in
fact, hindered him, in order that he and the others should have an
opportunity of witnessing the singular manoeuvres of the monkeys.
Before the scene was quite over, however, the Indian begged Don Pablo to
let him shoot, reminding him how much they stood in need of a little
"monkey-meat." This