Well, it's nice to know someone is out there enjoying it... :-) One wonders at times.

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It felt good to be out of the damned Monkey House at last. Real good. Kerchak scowled darky from under his heavily projecting brow ridges as he contemplated the many horrible things he intended to do to Chongo when he got hold of him. He would destroy Chongo in every way simianly possible, but first he would torture and humiliate him, subjecting him to grotesque indignities.

Fairness was not an item in Kerchak's personal philosophy. Getting even was. Not for a moment would it have occurred to him that his bopping Chongo on the head and then apeknapping him and then presenting him to the none so tender mercies of Big Daddy Malone the psychotic orangutan had given Chongo a perfectly valid reason for kicking Kerchak in the coconuts and then escaping. Not on your life. That had nothin' to do with it. Chongo had kicked Kerchak and he was gonna pay. Big time. Kerchak was gonna fit Chongo for a wooden kimono.

Kerchak had resumed his usual place among the North Side Gorillas, where he was considered useful for busting heads and shaking down poor saps for protection money. Mostly they were just little shopkeepers and bar owners, both human and simian. They were easy meat for Kerchak. He never failed to get the desired results. Right now though, business was pretty quiet and Kerchak had some spare time on his hands. He planned to use it putting Chongo on ice. Permanently. But it had to be done the right way.

"Gimme a drink, Solly," growled Kerchak. The howler scrambled to obey and had a drink ready within seconds. He didn't like the look in Kerchak's closeset little red eyes. Solly was a gopher, a sort of bellhop for the North Side Gorillas. He didn't get much respect, but the pay was not bad. And the problem was, you didn't leave the North Side Gorillas, except in a pine box. Solly had made his choice and he had to live with it now.

"You know what I'm gonna do to that lousy shamus, Solly?" said Kerchak, low and mean.

"Whaddya gonna do to him, Kerchak?" piped Solly nervously.

"I'm gonna grab hold of him with these mighty hands of mine!" Kerchak grabbed Solly by way of demonstration and shook him like a leaf. The howler emitted a strangled squeak.

"And then I'm gonna beat in his brainpan!" Kerchak waved a fist in front of the terrified howler.

"But then..." Kerchak paused dramatically.

"Wha...whaddya gonna do then, Kerchak," quavered Solly, with his eyes popping nearly out of his head.

Kerchak dropped Solly in a wooden chair, where he huddled shivering, and stood over him.

"I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do, Solly. I'm gonna tie him up and light matches under his little chimpy feet. I'm gonna burn off all his little chimpy hairs one by one. I'm gonna cut off his little chimpy ears...and then..."

"And then?" whispered Solly, staring up as if hypnotized.

"And then I'm gonna knock him off. I'm gonna pop da sucker. I'm bonna bop da jerk. I'm gonna rub him out. I'm gonna croak da little bastard. I'm gonna blip him off. I'm gonna pump metal t'rough and t'rough da little mango picker till ya can see daylight between his ribs wit yer eyes closed!"

That was putting it pretty plainly. Solly stayed very still and tried not to look at all like a chimpanzee.

Kerchak stood there, breathing heavily for a bit. Then he said, "Fix me anudder drink!"

Solly sprang out of his chair like a jack-in-the-box and began fixing another drink at amazing speed. Kerchak liked Banana Bangers, tall and strong. Solly was good at making them just to order.

"I guess maybe you wonder why I'm tellin' you all this," said Kerchak.

"Um, me? Wonder? Well, I...um.."

"I'm tellin' you all this, Solly, because YOU are gonna help me set Chongo up."

"I am?" said Solly, hesitantly. He put the new drink on Kerchak's table very gingerly.

"Yeah. Dat's right. First you find out what Chongo's up to dese days. He's prob'ly on a case. Or maybe he ain't, but he will be. Find out what case. See if you can feed him some useful information. I don't care what it is, just so's you find out what he's doin'. That gives me an in. Den we set him up and we set him up good. Can you do dat?"

"Oh yes!" piped Solly, feigning great enthusiasm. "Solly can do that for Mr Kerchak! Solly will find out what Chongo is doing and report back."

"Good," said Kerchak. "Dat's all I need ta hear. Now breeze off!"

Solly was gone in an instant. You couldn't see dust for that howler.

Kerchak finished off his second drink slowly, relishing it to the fullest. A couple of years in the monkey farm and you could really build up a taste for this sort of thing.

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