ii8 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



ture and, once captured, so difficult to deliver. On 

 account of homesickness and sensitiveness to cli- 

 matic changes, they die quickly in captivity. A 

 caged orang-outang loses his spirit immediately ; he 

 sits brooding over his capture and often refuses 

 all food. On one occasion I shipped eighteen small 

 and medium-sized orang-outangs to San Francisco, 

 hoping to land two or three alive, but they all died 

 before reaching port. If I had been able to deliver 

 a good specimen in the United States, I could have 

 sold it for $5,000. 



But here were two full-grown beasts, already 

 located, and waiting for me to try my hand at cap- 

 turing them. I was greatly interested in the story 

 the two headmen had to tell, and I spent the entire 

 afternoon in listening to them and asking them all 

 manner of questions. They described the country 

 where the orang-outangs made their home, and 

 promised as many men as I needed. 



I impressed them with the fact that I was not 

 anxious to make the trip, and I made them promise, 

 as a first consideration, that they would use all 

 their power to prevent the natives from killing the 

 animals if I captured them. I feared that the resent- 

 ment of the natives against the orang-outangs 

 might lead them to kill the animals for revenge, 

 even after I had them safely caged. They agreed 

 to do as I requested and once again begged me to 

 return with them. I told them to come back the 

 next day and talk with me again. I had already 



