Twenty five feet high above the ground at Benbrook lake, perched upon a limb which swayed to the gentle rhythm of the air currents sat Butch, our ever alert, ever watchful pig-tailed monkey.
Pat and I were camping under a huge oak tree that seemed to spread out its branches into the air forever. This was our favorite of all camping spots when we went to Benbrook.
Watching Butch now so high up, brought back memories of the first time he climbed this tree. Only a few months ago, Butch climbed this tree for the first time. What a disaster that was! Butch became hopefully entangled because of his 25-foot chain that is always attached to his harness when he's allowed out of his cage. It took me 30 minutes to untangle him.
But with an intelligence not many monkeys possess, he began to watch the way he climbed the tree. He figured out a way to move from branch to branch without entangling his chain. In a few weeks he was just as much at home in the tree as he was upon the ground.
During those weeks while he was learning how to become tangle-free, I was more or less learning to climb the tree like a monkey. After several climbs to free Butch, I figured I was highly proficient.
On one occasion when I was feeling rather cocky, I heard Butch "Ooh!" for help. High above the earth, I untangled his chain. He moved to my side and wrapped his arms around my neck in a big hug and "oohed" very softly into my ear. What a tender moment that memory is in my mind.
Then, with an agility only a rock-ape has, he was swinging his way to other branches. From my position, I could see campers all around the lake. I could see fishermen wading in the water, casting their lures for the big fish. I could see boaters and water skiers laughing as they skimmed over the surface of the lake. Everybody seemed to be having a really good time.
Soon enough, it was time for me to climb back down again. Because I was still in a cocky mood, I tried to descend the tree like Butch does. Big Mistake. I weighed more than Butch! A branch broke off under me and I dislocated my right shoulder while trying to regain my balance.
What a situation -- twenty feet in the air with a dislocated shoulder. "Mona," I shouted. Mona is my pet name for my wife. She heard me and came running to me immediately. "My shoulder has been dislocated," I said, "Call for help." She went for help and 20-minutes later, the Benbrook Fire Department arrived and helped me out of the tree. During that 20-minutes, I called out to Butch, and he climbed back up to where I was and stayed with me until I was rescued.
At the last, Butch looked me in the eyes as if to say, "Only one of us really belongs in the tree, and you don't look like Tarzan to me." Of course, I don't know for sure, but if that is what he meant, then he made his point.
Duce is the penname of Carman J.W. Vance at the Crest Yard in Fort Worth.