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.
[Illustration: "_Soon I saw their heads peeping over the palisades._"]
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."