up and shaking
the bars of his cage, "are you going to give me anything to eat? Or do
you expect me to live on peanuts forever?"

Not knowing what he said, none of the monkeys paid any attention to
this question. But one of the professor-monkeys appeared to listen
attentively, and remarked to friend: "There seems to be a smoothness
and variety of sound in his speech that indicates that he possesses
some sort of language. Had I time to study this brute, I might learn
his method of communicating with his fellows. Indeed, there is a
possibility that he may turn out to be the missing link."

However, the professor not yet having learned his language, Prince
Zingle was obliged to remain hungry. The monkeys threw several
cocoanuts into the cage, but the prisoner did not know what kind of
fruit these were; so, after several attempts to bite the hard shell, he
decided they were not good to eat.

Day after day now passed away, and, although crowds of monkeys came to
examine Zingle in his cage, the poor Prince grew very pale and thin for
lack of proper food, while the continuance of his unhappy imprisonment
made him sad and melancholy.

"Could I but escape and find my way back to my father's valley," he
moaned, wearily, "I should be willing to fly small kites forever
afterward."

Often he begged them to let him go, but the monkeys gruffly commanded
him to "stop his jabbering," and poked him with long sticks having
sharp points; so that the Prince's life became one of great misery.

At the end of about two weeks a happy relief came to Zingle, for then a
baby hippopotamus was captured and brought to the Royal Zoo, and after
this the monkeys left the Prince's cage and crowded around that of the
new arrival.

Finding himself thus deserted, Prince Zingle began to seek a means of
escape from his confinement. His first attempt was to break the iron
bars; but soon he found they were too big and strong. Then he shook the
door with all his strength; but the big padlocks held firm, and could
not be broken. Then the prisoner gave way to despair, and threw himself
on the floor of the cage, weeping bitterly.

Suddenly he heard a great shout from the direction of the cage where
the baby hippopotamus was confined, and, rising to his feet, the Prince
walked to the bars and attempted to look out and discover what was
causing the excitement. To his astonishment he found he was able to
thrust his head between two of the iron bars, havi