NDOVA'S THOUGHTFULNESS—HIS WINNING AND SPORTIVE WAYS—HE FEELS LONELY AND CALLS FOR OTHER MONKEYS TO COME TO HIM—A TROOP OF ELEVEN APPEAR—I FRIGHTEN THEM AWAY

I remained all alone in the camp one day while my hunters had gone hunting. Andekko had gone with them. Everything was very quiet.

Ndova was very still and was thinking. There was no mistake about it. His face showed it; his eyes showed it. He had a wonderful and thoughtful expression of sadness which went right to my heart.

I wondered if he was sorry for his lot among us; if he thought that he would be better off in the forest with his own folk. Perhaps poor Ndova wanted a mate to live with him. All I could tell, when I looked at him, was that he seemed supremely sorrowful. "What a pity," I said to myself, "that I cannot speak or understand the ndova talk, for I could then by talking to him find out what is the matter." Then I wished I could understand the language of all the monkeys of the forest. I knew about nine different kinds of monkeys living there; I could tell every species by hearing them, for no two uttered the same kind of sounds.

As I was thinking of these things, Ndova suddenly jumped upon my shoulders, uttering at the same time sounds of affection, and began at once to play with my hair, which was always a favorite pastime with him. When he got tired of this, he jumped down on my lap, and began to play with my hand and tried to get hold of two or three freckles I had upon them. He tried and tried in vain to pick them off; then he became excited, for he could not understand why he could not take them off. It always amused me to see Ndova vexed, for his eyes glared in such a peculiar manner. At last he gave up trying to pick off the freckles.

After this little outburst of temper he regained his equanimity, and began to be himself again, full of life and frolic. That made me feel happy, too, for I thought a good deal of my friend Ndova. I did not forget that he had sometimes saved me from hunger; then did not his capers, queer gestures, and comical grimaces amuse me many times? Was he not our companion in the great forest, one of us indeed? Andekko was a brave dog, but he had not the queer, amusing ways of Ndova, nor his human look. I sympathized always with Ndova when I thought he felt lonely—for I often felt lonely myself, and longed for friends and those of my kind.

Finally Ndova went to his cage, and began to eat the nuts, berries, and fruits I had put there for him in the morning. After he had satisfied his appetite he filled his two pouches to their utmost capacity, the skin of his cheeks being drawn quite tight over them. He looked comical enough, with a big lump on each side of his face.

When he came out of his cage, I tied him to the ring of his pole so that he might go up and down as he pleased. After he reached the top of the pole, he seated himself on the platform and then became thoughtful again. After a while he uttered that peculiar sound he always gave when he called for his species, the ndovas. When I saw this, I said to myself: "Yes; when Ndova has a sad face, it is because he feels lonely. That is the reason he calls for some of his kind to come and keep him company."

From time to time he called, but no answer came back; there were no ndovas around, but he was not disheartened and kept calling. Finally an answer came from far off. At this he grew excited, and went up and down his pole several times.

I hid, so that if the monkeys came into our camp they would not see me. I had a good hiding-place. I could hear the advance of the monkeys in the noise they made as they leaped from one flexible branch to another. Now and then they would stop and hold a conversation with Ndova. Soon after they perched upon a tree from which they could look into our camp. They remained silent for a while. The sight was unusual to them. I was glad that Andekko had gone with Rogala, for he would have barked at the monkeys and frightened them away.

I counted eleven monkeys. One was much bigger than the rest, and seemed to be their leader. He was looking down intently at Ndova and the stockade. He was evidently trying to make out what all that new sight to him meant. He was suspicious of the place and did not move. The monkeys would not come to the palisades without his orders. They trusted in his wisdom. He was evidently their chief. I watched carefully his face, which seemed very sober.

After a while he talked to our monkey, all his followers remaining silent. Ndova answered, with sounds I had not heard before. "Oh dear," I said to myself, "why do I not understand the language of the ndovas, so that I might know what the old fellow says to him? I think he wants to entice Ndova away into the forest." I was almost sorry I had not my gun by my side. I think I should have shot him for daring to try to make Ndova run away.

Ndova kept moving up and down his pole, now and then running about on the ground, making great efforts to get to his kind the ndovas.

Suddenly all the monkeys joined in a chorus, which excited Ndova very much. Then they all came down the tree together, and soon I saw their heads peeping over the palisades and looking silently at Ndova, the big fellow being in the centre of them, his big human-like eyes glancing all round. Then they all uttered a peculiar sound, which probably meant "Come on, come on," for Ndova tried anew to go to them. But they did not dare to come inside towards him. All at once I emerged from my hiding-place, and at the sight of me they fled, uttering piercing cries of fright.

On the return of Rogala I told him what had happened.

He replied: "Oguizi, monkeys are a kind of human beings."