uch peculiar circumstances,"
said Nigel. "Have you not told me that this is the first time for about
two hundred years that Krakatoa has broken out in active eruption?"

"True, but that cannot be to me the cause of longings or anxieties, for
I have seen many a long-dormant crater become active without any
important result either to me or to any one else."

"Stop, stop!" cried Professor Verkimier in a hoarse whisper at that
moment; "look! look at zee monkeys!"

Monkeys are very abundant in Sumatra, but the nest of them which the
travellers discovered at that time, and which had called forth the
professor's admiration, was enough--as Moses said--to make a "renocerus
laugh." The trees around absolutely swarmed with monkeys; those of a
slender form and with very long tails being most numerous. They were
engaged in some sort of game, swinging by arms, legs, and tails from
branches, holding on to or chasing each other, and taking the most
astonishing leaps in circumstances where a slip would have no doubt
resulted in broken limbs or in death.

"Stand still! Oh! _do_ stand still--like you vas petrivied," said the
professor in a low voice of entreaty.

Being quite willing to humour him, the whole party stood immovable, like
statues, and thus avoided attracting the attention of the monkeys, who
continued their game. It seemed to be a sort of "follow my leader," for
one big strong fellow led off with a bound from one branch to another
which evidently tried the nerves of his more timid and less agile
companions. They all succeeded, however, from the largest even to the
smallest--which last was a very tiny creature with a pink face, a sad
expression, and a corkscrew tail.

For a time they bounded actively among the branches, now high, now low,
till suddenly the big leader took a tremendous leap, as if for the
express purpose of baffling or testing his companions. It was immensely
amusing to see the degrees of trepidation with which the others
followed. The last two seemed quite unable to make up their minds to
the leap, until the others seemed about to disappear, when one of them
took heart and bounded wildly across. Thus little pink-face with the
corkscrew tail was left alone! Twice did that little monkey make a
desperate resolution to jump, and twice did its little heart fail as it
measured the distance between the branches and glanced at the abyss
below. Its companions seemed to entertain a feeling of pity for i