Affe #232

About Affe mit Waffe Deprecated

Plinius Galadaius wrote in a letter:

"At that time my uncle was visiting my family in our tree habitat, and we had gathered at home. In the afternoon, my mother pointed out a cloud of strange size and appearance that had just formed. From that distance it was not clear from which mountain the cloud was rising, although it was found afterwards to be Vesuvius. The cloud might best be described as more like an umbrella pine than any other tree because it rose up in a kind of trunk and then split into branches. I imagine this was because the initial explosion propelled it upwards until its strength waned and it was left unsupported, spreading sideways under its own weight. Sometimes it looked light colored, sometimes it looked mottled and dirty with the earth and ash it had carried up. As a true scholar, my uncle immediately recognized that it deserved closer study and ordered a boat to be made ready. He said I could go with him, but I chose to continue my studies.

Just as he was leaving the house, he was handed a message from other monkeys whose homes were at the foot of the mountain and could only escape by boat. They were horrified at the impending danger and begged him to save them. He immediately changed his plan, and what he had started out of scientific curiosity he finished as a hero. He ordered the large ships to be launched and put to sea, bravely heading straight for the danger zone that everyone else was leaving in fear and haste – still noting his observations.

The already falling ash grew hotter and thicker as they neared the shore and was soon replaced by pumice and blackened charred stones shattered by the fire. Suddenly the sea flattened where the shore was barred and clogged with debris from the mountain. He considered turning back, as the captain had advised, but instead chose to continue. "Fortune favors the brave monkey," he used to say. The apes living near the mountain had already packed their things and were waiting for the rescue ships to arrive. The winds were completely in my uncle's favor and got him and his boats to their intended destination. My uncle calmed and encouraged the frightened monkeys and was cheerful or at least pretended to be, which was just as brave. Night had fallen and the sea was stormy, so it was decided to wait.

Meanwhile, in several places on distant Vesuvius, tall, broad flames blazed brightly through the darkness of the night. My uncle soothed the fears of his companions by saying that they were nothing more than fires left by the terrified farming monkey, or empty abandoned houses that were blazing. In the end they went to sleep. But eventually the air filled with so much ash and pumice that they couldn't hide in the trees anymore. My uncle woke up and joined the other monkeys who had stayed up all night. They considered retreating to the shore, for the trees were now swaying and shaking even more violently. Leaving the shelter of the forest meant danger from falling pumice stone, although it was light and porous. After weighing the risks, they decided to reach the ships and tied pillows with cloths over their heads for protection.

It was daylight everywhere else by this time, but they were still shrouded in a darkness blacker and denser than any night, and they were forced to light their torches and lamps. On the shore, my uncle went to see if there was any way to escape by sea, but the waves were still too high. He lay down on a sheet to rest and called for cold water. Then, suddenly, flames and a strong smell of sulfur, giving warning of yet more flames to come, forced the monkeys to flee. My uncle himself stood up, but then collapsed, I assume choking as the dense fumes smothered him. When the light returned on the third day after the last day he had been seen, his body was found intact and unharmed, still fully clothed and looking more like a sleeping monkey."

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