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The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction - Volume 13, No. 360, March 14, 1829 by Various
page 30 of 62 (48%)
fond of pulling off the men's caps as they slept, and throwing them into
the sea; of knocking over the parrots' cages to drink the water as it
trickled along the deck, regardless of the occasional gripe he received;
of taking the dried herbs out of the tin mugs in which the men were
making tea of them; of dexterously picking out the pieces of biscuit
which were toasting between the bars of the grate; of stealing the
carpenter's tools; in short, of teasing every thing and every body: but
he was also a first-rate _equestrian_. Whenever the pigs were let
out to take a run on deck, he took his station behind a cask, whence he
leaped on the back of one of his steeds as it passed. Of course the
speed was increased, and the nails he stuck in to keep himself on,
produced a squeaking: but Jack was never thrown, and became so fond of
the exercise, that he was obliged to be shut up whenever the pigs were
at liberty. Confinement was the worst punishment he could receive, and
whenever threatened with that, or any other, he would cling to me for
protection. At night, when about to be sent to bed in an empty hencoop,
he generally hid himself under my shawl, and at last never suffered any
one but myself to put him to rest. He was particularly jealous of the
other monkeys on board, who were all smaller than himself, and put two
out of his way. The first feat of the kind was performed in my presence:
he began by holding out his paw, and making a squeaking noise, which the
other evidently considered as an invitation; the poor little thing
crouched to him most humbly; but Jack seized him by the neck, hopped off
to the side of the vessel, and threw him into the sea. We cast out a
rope immediately, but the monkey was too frightened to cling to it, and
we were going too fast to save him by any other means. Of course, Jack
was flogged and scolded, at which he was very penitent; but the
deceitful rogue, at the end of three days, sent another victim to the
same destiny. But his spite against his own race was manifested at
another time in a very original way. The men had been painting the
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