fly, it pecked fiercely at Marian
when she ran forward to pick it up. However, a blow which I gave it
with the butt of my fowling-piece soon brought its struggles to an end.
I afterwards killed three others in the same manner.

We made our way on till we caught sight of the river below us; but,
hoping to meet with more birds near it, we descended to the bank, and
were making our way in silence through the thick jungle, which greatly
impeded our progress, when Marian exclaimed--

"O Guy! what can that creature be, hanging to yonder bough?"

We both stopped, peering ahead, when I caught sight of the animal of
which Marian spoke. It looked like an exaggerated spider, with its
enormously long arms, its equally long hinder legs, and its still longer
tail, by which it was swinging from a branch overhanging the river.
Suddenly it threw itself round, and caught the branch by its fore paws.
Just then turning its head, it caught sight of us. Probably this was
the first time it had ever seen any human beings,--or, at all events,
civilised people with white skins. Uttering loud shrieks, the monkey--
for a monkey it was--sprang to the end of the branch, when, in its
terror, it let go its hold, and plunged into the water. I should, I
confess, have shot the creature; for I knew that the natives, and indeed
many of the white inhabitants, of Trinidad, eat monkey flesh, though we
had never had any on our table. Away the creature went, floating down
the stream, and shrieking loudly for help. Its cries were answered by a
number of its kind, of whom we caught sight in the branches directly
above our heads. Without noticing us, they ran to the end of a long
bough, which extended far over the water. Immediately one of them threw
itself off, and caught with its fore paws a long sepo, or vine, which
hung from the branch; another descended, hanging on with its tail
twisted round the tail of the first; a third sprang nimbly down the
living rope, and allowed the second to catch hold of its tail; while a
fourth came down, immediately afterwards, almost as quick as lightning,
the third catching hold of its tail and one of its arms, while its other
arm reached down to the surface of the water, so that when its drowning
companion came by it was able to grasp it and hold it tightly. The
first now, with wonderful power of limb, hauled itself up, dragging the
four monkeys hanging to it, till the second was able to grasp the vine.
They then ha