Monkey Island

         
















In the middle of the ocean, there is a small island shaped like an arc. Here, monkeys play on the beach and in the trees. But how did the monkeys get there? 


Once, an English admiral was exploring Africa when he found hundreds of monkeys. The admiral’s character was mean. He thought, “I could sell these monkeys and become very rich! I’m going to take them to England.” 

So the admiral set traps to catch the monkeys. He put stakes in the ground, tied string around them and made loops in the string. When the monkeys ran through the forest, their feet got caught in the loops, and they couldn’t escape. Then the admiral put the monkeys in cages on his ship and sailed away. 

The cages were small and uncomfortable. There was no soft hay for the monkeys to sleep on. Instead, they slept on branches with sharp thorns that cut into the monkeys’ flesh. For dinner, he gave them tiny pieces of sour grapefruit to eat. The monkeys grew hungry and weak. 

But one day, the admiral hired a new steward. He was a kind man with a good conscience. He was horrified to see the thin monkeys in the cages. So one night he let them out. 

The monkeys ran and played all over the ship! They attacked the admiral and the steward and ate their food. They completely wrecked the ship. One monkey ran into a kerosene lamp, and it fell over. The ship caught fire and began to sink! The whole crew was lost except for the monkeys.

 After the accident, the monkeys jumped onto a raft. They floated away from the fiery blaze of the ship. In the morning, they saw a little island in the distance. The monkeys used a piece of wood as a paddle, and they went toward it. They found the island shaped like an arc. They felt so happy to find a new home, and they still live there today.