58 Borneo — The Orang-Utan. 



liill a little way up its slope, and parallel with it at the foot 

 a wide opening had been made for a road, in which several 

 Chinamen were working, so that the animal could not escape 

 into the swampy forest below without descending to cross 

 the road or ascending to get round the clearings. We walk- 

 ed cautiously along, not making the least noise, and listening 

 attentively for any sound which might betray the presence 

 of the mias, stopping at intervals to gaze ujiward. Charley 

 soon joined us at the place where he had seen the creature, 

 and having taken the ammunition and pufc a bullet in the 

 other barrel, we dispersed a little, feeling sure that it must 

 be somewhere near, as it had probably descended the hill, 

 and would not be likely to return again. After a short time 

 I heard a very slight rustling sound overhead, but, on gazing 

 up, could see nothing. I moved about in every direction to 

 get a full view into every part of the tree under which I had 

 been standing, when I again heard the same noise, but loud- 

 er, and saw the leaves shaking as if caused by the motion of 

 some heavy animal which moved off to an adjoining tree. I 

 immediately shouted for all of them to come up and try and 

 get a view, so as to allow me to have a shot. This was not 

 an easy matter, as the mias had a knack of selecting places 

 with dense foliage beneath. Very soon, however, one of the 

 Dyaks called me and pointed upward, and on looking I saw 

 a great red hairy body and a huge black face gazing down 

 from a great height, as if wanting to know what was making 

 such a disturbance below. I instantly fired, and he made off 

 at once, so that I could not then tell Avhether I had hit him. 

 He now moved very rapidly and very noiselessly for so 

 large an animal, so I told the Dyaks to follow and keep him 

 in sight while I loaded. The jungle was here full of large 

 angular fragments of rock from the mountain above, and 

 thick Avith hanging and twisted creepers. Running, climb- 

 ing, and creeping among these, we came up with the creature 

 on the top of a high tree near the road, where the Chinamen 

 had discovered him, and were shouting their astonishment 

 with open mouth : " Ya ya, Tuan ; Orang-utan, Tuan." See- 

 ing that he could not pass here without descending, he turn- 

 ed up again toward the hill, and I got two shots, and, follow- 

 ing quickly, had two more by the time he had again reached 



