urt. Gathering itself nimbly up, it ran away from the men who
had now landed, but who stood still, by the captain's orders, to watch
its motions. Looking round, it observed its mother's form lying on the
ground, and at once ran towards it and buried its little face in her
breast, at which sight Ailie began to cry quietly. In a few seconds the
little monkey got up and gently pawed the old one; then, on receiving no
sign of recognition, it uttered a faint wail, something like
"Wee-wee-wee-wee-oo!" and again hid its face in the breast of its dead
parent.

"Ah! the poor cratur," said Briant, in a tone of voice that betrayed his
emotion. "O, why did ye kill her?"

"Me ketch 'im?" said Bumble, looking inquiringly at the captain.

"Oh, do!" answered Ailie, with a sob.

The negro deemed this permission sufficient, for he instantly sprang
forward, and throwing a piece of net over the little monkey, secured it.

Now the way in which that baby monkey struggled and kicked and shrieked,
when it found itself a prisoner, was perfectly wonderful to see! It
seemed as if the strength of fifty little monkeys had been compressed
into its diminutive body, and King Bumble had to exert all his strength
in order to hold the creature while he carried it into the canoe. Once
safely there and in the middle of the stream, it was let loose. The
first thing it did on being set free was to give a shriek of triumph,
for monkeys, like men, when at last _allowed_ to do that which they have
long struggled in vain to accomplish, usually take credit for the
achievement of their own success.

Its next impulse was to look round at the faces of the men in search of
its mother; but the poor mother was now lying dead covered with a cloth
in the bottom of the canoe, so the little monkey turned from one to
another with disappointment in its glance and then uttered a low wail of
sorrow. Glynn Proctor affirmed positively that it looked twice at Phil
Briant and even made a motion towards him; but we rather suspect that
Glynn was jesting. Certain it is, however, that it looked long and
earnestly at Ailie, and there is little doubt that, young though it was,
it was able to distinguish something in her tender gaze of affection and
pity that proved attractive. It did not, however, accept her invitation
to go to her, although given in the most persuasive tones of her silver
voice, and when any of the men tried to pat its head, it displayed such
a row of s