Gerald Durrell - The Overloaded Ark

We ran on, the noise of the fails grew louder, and soon we found ourselves stumbling along the rocky banks of a frothing, tumbling stream. Ahead was the waterfall, a shining wall of water falling from a rock face some fifty feet high into a tumble of big boulders thickly encrusted with green moss and lush plants. Everything was misty with spray, and over the crest of the waterfall hung a tiny blurred rainbow which gleamed and faded with the pulsating of the water. Above the voice of the falls we could now hear the clonking of the bells, and from out of the undergrowth between two rocks backed one of the dogs, stern first, yapping hysterically.

Leaping from rock to rock through the rapids we reached the base of the fails, and clambered eagerly over the slippery rocks to see what it was that the dogs had cornered. There, in a small shady area between the boulders, lay another Monitor, but, in comparison to it, the one we had caught the day before looked like a pygmy. It was curved like a great taut bow, its massive body quite still except for the heaving movement of its ribs. Its mouth was open, and even above the sounds of the waters we could hear it hissing. He had chosen the best place to stand at bay, for on three sides he was protected by rocks, and his claws, tail, and mouth made the other line of attack dangerous to say the least. All the dogs realized this fact except one, a young and foolish bitch, and she had yapped and yarred herself into a fit of hysterical bravery which our presence seemed to increase. Before we could stop her she had rushed into the corner and, more by good luck than anything, had succeeded in fastening her teeth in the loose skin of the Monitor’s neck; the reptile, lashing at the dog’s thin body with his tail, grasped one of her ears in his sharp-edged mouth. The dog was now in a difficult position, for she could not let go and bound away, held as she was in this vice-like grip. Slowly and carefully the Monitor rose on his thick legs and gradually edged his way round until first one and then both of his hind legs were on the unfortunate bitch’s back. Then he hunched himself, and suddenly kicked out with his hind feet, raking and tearing the skin off the dog’s back with his curved claws. The bitch gave a scream of pain and let go of the reptile’s neck, and, to my surprise, the great lizard also released his hold. As she scuttled away from him he lashed round with his tail and bowled her over in a bloodstained heap. She crawled out from among the rocks, shivering and whining, and went and sat on the banks of the stream and tried to lick the dreadful wounds on her back. The Monitor was unharmed except for a scratch on his neck, and looked quite ready to give battle again at a moment’s notice.

Leaving the Tailor to watch the reptile, Yellow-Eyes and I tied the dogs up to a tree, and I bathed the bitch’s wounds. From midway down her back to her rump were seven long gashes, as though she had been sliced with a rather blunt knife. I had just finished with the dog when a cry from the Tailor to the effect that the Monitor was moving sent us all rushing back to the cliff. The reptile had advanced a few yards, but as soon as he saw us he retreated to his corner again. We made several attempts to throw a net over him, but there was no space to manoeuvre properly, and the net kept getting caught up on the rocks. There was only one thing to do, and that was to get above him and drop a noose over his head. Leaving the others with instructions to rush in and net him as soon as I had the rope round his neck, I crawled slowly over the rocks to a vantage point above him.

I had to move slowly and cautiously for the rocks were slippery with moisture where exposed, and the moss slid off the surface like slime under my feet. At length I reached the small promontory above our quarry and, squatting on my haunches, I fashioned a slip-knot at the end of a long thin cord. Then I lowered it towards the head of the reptile some six feet below me. In my excitement I did not fasten the loose end of the rope to anything, and then added to my stupidity by kneeling on the coil of rope . . . which made my downfall doubly ignominious.

Lowering the noose to within a foot of the lizard’s head I flipped it over very neatly and pulled it tight, feeling the rosy glow of pride that goes before a fall. As he felt the noose tighten the Monitor shot forward in a great wiggling dash that jerked the cord from my hands and whipped my knees from under me, so that I toppled over and slid down the rocks, in the most undignified position and with ever-increasing speed. In the brief moment before I landed, with a spine-shattering crash, in the miniature canyon below, I offered up a prayer that my descent would frighten the reptile into the nets. I had no desire to engage him in a wrestling match after seeing what he had done to the dog. Luckily, he was scared and tried to make a dash for it, and his fore quarters were enfolded in a heap of netting. The Tailor and Yellow-Eyes leapt forward on to his lashing tail and hind quarters and pulled the net over completely. As soon as he was well trussed up in sacking and cord I examined the bite on his neck, but I found that the dog’s teeth had only just broken the skin. These two giant lizards were a very welcome addition to the collection, principally because of their size. In the collection at Bakebe I had a number of youngsters, but they were insignificant in comparison. When they are young these Monitors are slim and neat, their skin a peculiar shade of greeny-black, thickly dotted with groups of bright golden-yellow spots. As they grow older the skin becomes a deep, dusty black, and the yellow spots fade and disappear until only a faint scattering of them remains. They were not difficult feeders, eating anything in the way of dead animals or birds. The things they adored above all else were eggs, and with the use of these delicacies they soon became quite tame, and allowed me to massage their rough backs and pull the dry flakes of skin off when they were sloughing.

When, much later, we returned to camp, I found the traps had yielded a mixed bag of birds, and to my delight it included two of the Ground Thrushes. Although it was so late I felt that the sooner John had these precious birds in his hands the better, so I packed them up and sent them off down the mountain with the Monitor. The carriers moaned and complained at being sent off at that hour, protesting that it would be dark very soon and that the lower slopes of the mountain were notorious for the size and ferocity of its leopards and the cunning and malignancy of its ju-jus. So I gave them an extra lantern to ward off these dangers, and watched them out of sight.

Later, while there was still enough light left to see by, I went for a stroll about half a mile from the camp, and presently I found that I was at the edge of a cliff about a hundred feet high. The tops of the trees that grew below were on a level with the top of the cliff, and their lower branches interlaced with the undergrowth growing there. By crawling to the edge of the cliff, in amongst the curling roots and twisted hedge of low growth, I found I was in an excellent position for, being on a level with the massive tree-tops that grew from below, it was as though I had suddenly been transported to the top layer of the forest. I concealed myself beneath a large bush, unhitched my field-glasses and scanned the leaves for a sign of life.

I lay there for a long time, but nothing happened. Faintly, far away down the mountain, I could hear some hornbills honking. Then I heard a faint rustle that seemed to come from somewhere behind me. I had half-turned to see what was making the noise when something landed with a crash of leaves in the bush under which I lay. I lay as still as possible and waited. For a few seconds there was silence, and then from above me came a loud, deep cry: “Oink! . . . Oink!”, and I realized that it was a troop of Mona guenons. For the next half-hour I was treated to the most delightful close-up of monkey life that anyone could wish for.