Mr. Sweet Potatoes, and Other Stories — John Shaqi
Mr. Sweet Potatoes, and Other StoriesAnonymous
General
Mr. Sweet Potatoes, and Other Stories
Anonymous
Children's literature; Readers -- Geography
The latter figure, unlike mine, had the pail poised upon the head.
It was probably a true likeness of the renowned maid that counted
the chickens in advance, thereby showing the people of her country
to have been "born calculators." I think the little body that showed
me the way to my lodgings descended in a direct line from this old
mathematical stock, and was a little proud of her origin. Her language
was a mixture of Dutch, French, and, for all I know, several dead
languages, _but_--and I have her own authority for it--not a mongrel
tongue. Out of gratitude to one who led me to my home, I should speak
well of this woman, as of the proverbial bridge, so am quite willing
to accept her statement and allow her a "pure dialect."
JOE THE CHIMPANZEE.
When in England I was very much interested in the monkeys at the
Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, London. There were hundreds of all
kinds and sizes, from the gigantic orang-outang to tiny creatures not
much bigger than a large rat.
These monkeys had a spacious glass house, heated by steam; and as a
tropical temperature was always maintained, tall palms and luxurious
vines grew so vigorously within its walls that I have no doubt the
quaint inmates supposed themselves in their native haunts.
They chattered and scolded each other, wildly chased stray little dogs
and kittens, and really seemed to know so much that I half believed
an old keeper, who told me the only reason they did not talk, was
because they could make themselves well enough understood without.
Many funny stories I heard of their sagacity. One I recall of a nurse
who shook a naughty little boy in the presence of some of the mother
monkeys, whereupon all the old monkeys began shaking all the young
ones until it seemed as if their poor little heads would drop off.
But, interested in all the singular inhabitants of the house, I grew
attached to Joe, the young chimpanzee who had been brought a baby
from the coast of Guinea the winter before. He had a little room on
the sunny side of the monkey house, with a stove, table, chairs and a
couple of beds arranged like the berths in the state room of an ocean
steamer. Besides he had a man all to himself, to wait upon him; and it
was no wonder the other monkeys were jealous of his superior quarters
and the deference paid him; for while Joe was not handsome he was
worth more money than all the others put together.
He was worth this great sum because he belonged to the most
intelligent and interesting species of the monkey family, and only one
or two of his kinsfolk had ever been seen in Europe, while the only
one the Zoological Society had ever owned, had died of lung fever
before he had inhabited his comfortable quarters many months.
Joe was about as tall as an average boy of eight or ten years. He wore
a thick cloth roundabout, and a low flat trencher cap such as the
Oxford students delight in.
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