106 THE TRICKS OF MONKEYS.

trees alive with monkeys. _On the head of each monkey was
a red woollen cap! The little mimics had watched his pro-
ceedings; and having stolen his caps while he slept, had
adorned their black pates with their booty. The monkeys
gave no heed to his shouts, but only grinned at his rage.

Finding every attempt to get back his caps fruitless, he
pulled off the one which he had put on his head, and threw
it on the ground, crying out, “ Here, you little thieving rogues,
if you will keep the rest, you may take this one too!” No
sooner had he done this, than, to his great joy, the little
animals at once did the same. Each snatched the cap from
his head and threw it on the ground! The sailor regained
all his caps, and marched off in triumph.

Among the rules of the port of London is one which for-
bids, under a heavy penalty, the firing of a gun from any vessel
lying there. An armed ship had just come in from a long
voyage, during which she had touched at several places, and
at each of them had fired a salute on anchoring. A monkey
that was on board, naturally wondering why this was not
done when he saw the anchor dropped at London, resolved,
rather than that it should not take place, that he would fire
the salute himself! Accordingly, while the attention of all
on board was engaged with the arrival of the ship, he went
to the cooking-place, and with the tongs took out a live coal,
which he applied to the touch-hole of one of the guns; and
at once the whole neighbourhood was startled by the roar of
the cannon. The captain of the vessel was tried for breaking
the law; and he could clear himself only by proving that the
cannon had been fired by the monkey.