A MONTH "WITH THE BYAKS. 419 



sympathy, and genuine courage in tlie face of clanger. It measured 

 as follows : length of head and body, 1 foot 7 inches ; entire reach 

 of arms and legs, 5 feet 1 inch ; extent of outstretched arms, 5 feet 

 1 inch ; hand, 6^ x 1 inches ; foot, 6 x 1^ inches ; weight, 10| 

 pounds. 



" The young specimen was about one-third grown, but its brain 

 being affected and its spine injured by the shock, I killed it imme- 

 diately for conscience's sake. Late in the evening, when I went 

 down to the creek to bathe, I took the little mias along to see if he 

 could swim. I gave him a perfectly fair chance, for instead of pitch- 

 ing him plump into the water as we do dogs and puppies I waded 

 with him in my arms out to where the water was waist deep, and 

 then poising him on the surface let him go, much against his will. 

 Did he swim ? Hardly. He turned heels up in an instant and his 

 old head went down as if it had been filled with lead instead of 

 brains. Instead of striking out vigorously with his arms and legs 

 as other animals do, those iiseful members simply stuck straight 

 out from his body like four sticks and moved slowly and feebly, 

 first one way and then another, as the old fellow sank to the bottom. 

 I waited a moment to see if he would, in any measure, recover him- 

 self, or come to the sui-face, but he only turned horizontally in the 

 water and remained a foot below the surface, stiff and helj^less. I 

 waited until it would have been ci-uelty to have left him longer, and 

 then, like Pharaoh's daughter, I dx-ew him out. He did not whine 

 or scream, but you should have seen his face. Its expression of in- 

 jured innocence and disgust at the whole business spoke as plainly 

 as words. But he was soon all right and after wiping him diy I 

 put him dovNTi upon the pebbly bank while I went in for my bath. 

 The little rascal began slowly cUmbing up the bushes, in a listless, 

 indifferent manner, to throw me off my guard. By and by I went 

 out to make him come down, but he was already beyond my reach,, 

 and instead of obeying me he gazed down upon me with a superior, 

 patronizing air, and went on chmbing higher. Very soon he was 

 twenty feet up, with jungle all around him, and he had evidently 

 made up his mind to go from our gaze like a beautiful dream. It 

 was just sunset, and if not caught within ten minutes ho would be 

 a total loss. I shouted for help and the Dyaks came running down 

 with axes and parongs to chop down trees if necessary'. But one 

 of the men espied a slanting tree-trunk, and, by its aid, he climbed 

 nimbly and silently into the top of the tree containing the mias 

 while we below kept the little rascal's attention directed to our- 



