3C)8 TWO YEARS IN THE JUNGLE. 



ing like a big, red spicier. It gazed down at us in stupid, childish 

 wonder, and I was just aiming for it, when jVIi\ Eng Quee called 

 my attention to the mother of the infant, who was concealed in the 

 top of the same tree. As soon as I fired at her, she climbed with 

 all haste up to her little one, which quickly clasj^ed her round the 

 body, holding on by grasping her hair, and, with the little one 

 clinging to her, the mother started to climb rapidly away. 



Fortunately, we were able to get the boat in amongst the trees 

 without much trouble, and all immediately went overboard. We 

 had scarcely done so when a third orang, a young male about two 

 years old, was discovered looking down from a nest overhead, which 

 he immediately left and stai'ted to follow the old mother. As he 

 went swinging along underneath a limb, with his body well drawn 

 up I gave him a shot which dropped him instantly, and then we 

 turned our attention to the female. She was resting on a couple 

 of branches, badly wounded, with her baby still chnging to her 

 body in great fright. Seeing that she was not likely to die for 

 some minutes I gave her another shot to promptly end her suffer- 

 ing, and then she came crashing do\vn through the top of the small 

 trees and fell into the water, which was waist deep. 



We sprang to secure the baby, but it was under water fully a 

 minute before we found it, quite unable to swim and very nearly 

 drowned. We managed to resuscitate it, however, then the other 

 two were Kfted into the boat and we drew out into the stream. 



As soon as the baby recovered the use of all its faculties, it 

 seemed possessed of a little devil. It was only about six months 

 old or eight at the most, and weighed about eleven pounds, but it 

 had the temper of a tiger. It made such persistent efforts to pull 

 my hands up to its mouth in order to bite them that I was obliged 

 to tie its elbows together behind its back, pinion its feet also and 

 make it fast by a cord to the side of the boat, so that it could not 

 reach me with its teeth. This, of course, increased its rage. 



It was restless as an eel, and gave me endless trouble. Once 

 ■when I was not watching, it rolled over and before I was aware of 

 the movement seized the calf of my leg between its teeth with a 

 perfectly fiendish expression and bit me very severely. But for 

 my thick woollen stockings and cotton hunting trousers under- 

 neath, I think the little wretch would have bitten out a piece of my 

 flesh. I gave him a sounding slap on the side of his head, which 

 caused him to let me go ; but for many days after I carried a large 

 black and blue mark in memory of him. 



