--I fired at it, but an antelope bounded by as I pulled my
trigger, and received the ball--I never regretted anything so much in my
life. Did you see it?"

"I saw a number of most indescribable animals," replied Courtenay; "but
let us descend, and walk over the field of slaughter."

The party dismounted, and for some time amused themselves with examining
the variety of the slain. The deer and antelopes were the most
plentiful; but, on enumeration, nine panthers and leopards, and fifteen
wild-boars, headed the list. Prose and Seymour were walking side by
side, when they perceived a monkey sitting on the ground, with a most
pitiful face; it was of a small variety, with a long tail; it made no
effort to escape as they approached it, but on the contrary appeared to
court their notice, by looking at them with a melancholy air, and
uttering loud cries, as if in pain.

"Poor little fellow," said Seymour, apostrophising the animal, "it looks
as if it were a rational being.--Where are you hurt?"

The monkey, as if it were a rational being, looked down at one of his
hind legs, and put his finger into the wound where the ball had entered.

"Well, now, I do declare," said Prose, "but the poor beast understands
you."

Seymour examined the leg without any resistance on the part of the
monkey, who continued to look first at the wound, and then in their
faces, as if to say, "Why did you do it?"

"Macallan, come here," ejaculated Seymour, "and see if you can assist
this poor little fellow."

Macallan came up, and examined the wound. "I think it will recover; the
bone is not broken, and no vital part is touched. We'll bandage it up,
and take him home."

"How very like a human being it is," observed Courtenay; "it appears
only to want speech--it's really excessively annoying."

"Rather mortifying to our pride, I grant," replied Macallan.

"That's exactly what I mean."

Seymour tore up his handkerchief for bandages, and the monkey was
consigned to the care of a native. (_Par parenthese_, it eventually
recovered; and from the peculiarity of its history, and the request of
Seymour, was allowed by Captain M--- to remain on board of the frigate,
where it became a great favourite. HIGH CASTE, on the contrary,
disappeared a few days after his reception, having been thrown overboard
by some of the people that he had bitten, and Captain M--- made no
inquiries after him. So much for the two monkeys.)

By this time the native