Show JACKSON AND HIS MONKEYS By MICHAEL WHITE I. I q by Short Stor Story Pub Co ANY things are done clone In the M MANY name of the viceroy and governor governor governor gov gov- general In council for which his excellency can hardly be held accountable personally For example the notice in the Indian State railway carriages pertaining to the exclusion of dogs If you were to ask the viceroy about that order he would probably look very much surprised surprised surprised sur sur- his excellency having no knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge at all of said canine ordinance But Bu this this story story has nothing to do with dogs It relates to an order in council coun- coun council coun COlm- cil ell governing the situation In is n a district district distrIct dis dis- overpopulated with monkeys Said monkeys being holy animals must not be In any any way maltreated thereby givIng Ing offense to Hindu religious prejudice prejudice dice dice but on representation to the local authority that shopkeepers and other divers persons are suffering from the depredations of monkeys said local I authority shall order the capture and deportation of as many monkeys s 's as In his Judgment will conduce to a relief of the situation atlon In all aU respects an anI I admirable rule but which like many manyI others Is apt not to work out quite so sowell sowell sowell I well In practice For this reason The I majority of districts being already overpopulated with monkeys do not I cordially welcome an additional burI burden burden bur bur- den of outside deities Even the pious I Hindu Is puzzled at times what to do doI I with with- his legion of animal and other I gods But Dut this did not at all trouble Jac Jackson son wb when n the native headmen of Kotar reported to him th that t unless I measures were taken for their protection protection pro pro- not a grain of rice would be left In the bazaar The monkeys led I by certain brazen Individuals had swarmed into Kotar and were growing growing growIng grow grow- ing fat tat by their depredations What they did not eat they scattered wantonly wantonly wan wan- tonly and the merchants fearful of sacrilege In using force to protect i their thel produce faced the unfortunate alternative of bankruptcy We are poor people pleaded the spokesman of the turbaned and arid solemn deputation to Jackson We grow thin through this misfortune as as the presence can see for himself If the heaven born pleases we wish that he will exert his influence with the monkeys so that we be not utterly ruined and much sorrow brought on our families The heaven born Jackson was benevolently benevolently be be- pleased to exert his Influence Influence ence according to the regulation of ot of the viceroy and governor-general governor In council He straightway ordered that the ringleaders aders of the monkeys be captured and deported To that end if It was a comparatively easy matter to construct a stout bamboo cage cage on on ona ona a railway flat fiat car not so by any means was capturing the monkeys Over the thatched roofs In and out of windows down rickety stairs chattel chatterIng Ing screaming leaping from crumbling mud walls walts to tree bough went the holy monkeys while for the most part those deputed to catch them did nothing nothing noth noth- ing but salaam and beg their to walk Into very absurd traps You will appreciate te Jacksons Jackson's posItion posItion position tion when forced to take a hand inthe Inthe in inthe the chase It is quite hot In Kotar also Aiso dust dusty so between the flaming red heat and the powdered white dust the superstitious natives nati and the elusive monkeys Jackson liquefied several pounds of tissue and swore vore a great deal before he lie captured a score or more of whiskered gray-whiskered old villains and landed them seem securely ely within the bamboo cage of the flat car This he dispatched by the next down down country country freight train billed for a place called J which was ruled over O by bya a man named Foster Jackson thought Foster would help him out with the monkeys because he had recently done the deputy commissIoner commissioner com com- missioner of a friendly turn He lie also felt he had performed his duty toward the people of Kotar until he received a 9 I letter letter Uel from roster Foster expressing his i regret egret that II ho lie was vas unable to accommodate an any more monkeys In his district and advising advIsing- Jackson Jaclson to try some one else So back came the grinning chattering cage of monkeys cys Jackson was WIlS of course disappointed dis dis- appointed to see the thc monkeys but that was not all alt far from rom it The Thc native e station master of Kotar presented himself with a grave giave gl ve face Sir said he the sahib will recollect recollect recollect lect that when he ordered the monkeys sent awu away there were one In Inthe Inthe Inthe the cage Now behold there are forty forty- seven That us as the sahib will understand understand understand un un- is an un increase of sixteen monkeys The native stationmaster took great pride in his accuracy as to figur figures S but I at the moment it did not soften Jacksons Jackson's Jacksons Jacksons Jackson's Jack Jack- sons son's wrath toward Foster seizing the opportunity to unload precisely sixteen of his this own undesirable monkeys He De wrote Foster Fostel an angry letter nl about out it promising to get even v Uh him someday some someday someday day and In the meantime ordered the monkeys sent on up the line to a man named Gar Gardner ner In ordinary circumstances circum stances it would have been easy to work off ofT the monkeys on Gardner who vho unlike Foster was always alwa's willing willingto to oblige a friend In an emergency nc Hut Rut Jacksons Jackson's carload of monkeys eys arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived just at the time that the Hindus were about to cel celebrate brate the feast feist of Hunuman I unu the monI monkey ey god So what was more more natural than that they should take It as a sign from the god himself that the auspicious hour four had come to sta start t a a ariot riot and belabor the heads of their Mohammedan tell fellow ow subjects Thus word woid was brought to Gardner that n procession with toms tom-toms beatIng beat beat- Ing lag conch shells blowing clubs brandishing bran bran- dishing and much noise ani and dust wason was wason wason on Its lt way to the station to receive the newly arrived monkey deities In all aU honor On the return Journey to Hunuman's temple they hoped to encounter encounter encounter en en- counter a Mohammedan crowd with broken heads In consequence Gardner Gardner Gard Gard- ner quickly grasp grasped d t the e situation so 80 far as ridding himself of ot the monkeys mon mon- keys and the Hindus of their Inauspicious inauspicIous inauspicious cious omen He f shouted for his horse and ancy rode straight for the station happily happily hap hap- arriving there before the sion I Send that monkey car car off by the first train passing he ordered the native superintendent Understand Its It's a government order the order the first train I which passes Get those beasts beasts' away from here bere as so soon n as as possible The he native nathe superintendent being a n Mohammedan and caring nothing about monkeys promised obedience Then Gardner rode hurriedly away to head off of the procession Dut But he had given what was a n very reckless order because If a native e is not absolutely literal he is chaotic The first train passing g was Gar Gardners Gardner's ners ner's order and that settled It In the native mind Now the first train which came along happened happened happened hap hap- to be a special carrying no less lessa a person than th the viceroy and gover goer nor-general nor of India on one of his grand tours fours to visit native kings and such folk It did not pull up at the station Morar being an unimportant place but stopped beyond Just long enough to water the locomotive But I during that short period the native superintendent with the assistance of ofa I Ia a gang of coolies s was able to o push the monkey ey car ar up up and link It on to the thereal rear real of of the vicer viceroys viceroy's s 's special such being be ing the commissioner sahibs sahib's distinct order The coupling had barely been adJusted adjusted ad ad- jested when the special started with a proud blast last from Prom t the e wl whistle Istle It sped on through green rice fields fleWs where natives perched on I high fragile pl platforms forms to scare away voracious birds s and animals gazed gazed I with Inspired awe wonder at the car carof carof 9 of of gods trailing behind the representative representative of the special It lt dashed through Kotar without notice of Jackson and on until It gradually y approached is As his excellency purposed holding an nn Informal levee at the railway station Foster was on on r the platform In full dress att attended by local native gentlemen In a long Iong embroidered embroidered embroidered em em- broidered coats and brilliant turbans On the roofs of side buildings swarmed buildings swarmed the skinned dark-skinned lightly clad lace Foster was rather proud of th the gathering as a tribute of native re rev respect respect to the viceroy So too thought the viceroy when glancing from tI the e window he beheld the low salaams of the native gentlemen and evidently a prodigious Interest stirred up on the roofs at fit his advent ad While his excellency excellency excellency ex ex- prepared to d descend to the platform Foster oster i following the absorbed absorbed ab ab- absorbed gaze of the native natly gentlemen turned upon the rear of the train started with unconcealed astonishment astonish astonish- ment or My word 1 he gasped Ill Ill I'll Ill I'll be hanged if the viceroy hasn't brought along Jacksons Jackson's confounded monkeys What the deuce does he mean by it The viceroy stepped to the platform quite prepared to acknowledge the profound profound pro pro- profound found respect which he thought was being paid him when a wild chatterIng chatterIng chattering chatter- chatter Ing screaming chorus rose from the rear of his train He looked and saw what was certainly not the usual accompaniment accompaniment ac ac- of a progress however er much It might impress the native native native na na- tive mind He wanted an explanation on n nat at once and to obtain It the telegraph wires ran hot messages back and forth foith When a fairly coh cohesive report was forthcoming his excellency was inclined to blame Foster as the thc man within reach of his hand It seems to me said the viceroy in a tone of lofty rebuke that there is ample room here for Mr 11 Jacksons Jackson's surplus m monkeys ys s I consider Mr 11 Foster Foster Fos Fos- ter that your our course wa was was open open to cen censure sure In permitting In er permitting these these animals animals to to wander wandel up and down the railways railways railways rail rail- ways ways of the tike empire re and I 1 Ju m.- m. proper propel Lh they should should ll have rl iwen attached attached at d- t to fy td a tl Vc train You had better liberate rd at ht once The viceroy went on to see the kings quite ignorant of the Immense prestige he had gained in the time pi province plO ov luce by carrying along a carload of holy monkeys and Foster spent more than one anxious night before he felt reassured reassured re- re assured that he would hear no no more moie of the incI incident ent But Dut what continued to puzzle him was that when the monkeys scrambled out of the cage sixty thieving old rascals were added to the hol holy malefactors of ot his Ills district together with his sixteen original undesirables undesirables un un- desirables s returned Jackson chuckled when he denied adding the thc other twenty-nine twenty and Gardner said he had luul been too busy to bother with monkeys s so where they came from must remain an un unanswered unanswered unan unan- question unless as Jackson holds the monkey monley god sent them by way of retribution forthe for forthe forthe the way In which Foster Fosler trIed tiled to add to the trouble of a friend |