CAGED IN AN AFRICAN JUNGLE 21 



with vanity in saying that I have seen more of those 

 animals in a state of nature than any white man ever 

 saw, and under conditions more favourable for a 

 careful study of their manners and habits, than 

 could otherwise be possible. Hence, what I have 

 to say concerning them is the result of an experience 

 which no other man can claim. 



I do not mean to ignore or impugn what others 

 have said on this subject, but the sum of my 

 labours in this field leads me to doubt much that 

 has been said and accepted as true. I regret that 

 it devolves upon me to controvert many stories 

 told about these great apes, but finding no germ 

 of truth in some of them, I cannot evade the duty 

 of denying them. I regret it all the more, because 

 many of them have been woven into the fabric of 

 natural history, and marked with the seal of scientific 

 approval ; but time will sustain me in the denial. 



I am aware that bigots of certain schools will 

 challenge me for pointing out their mistakes, and 

 some will assume to know more about these apes 

 than a fish knows about swimming ; but truth defies 

 all theory. 



Each kind of ape will be treated in the chapter 

 devoted to it, but only those with which I have 

 dealt in person will be discussed at length. Others 

 will be noticed, in order to sustain the continuity of 

 the subject and show the relative planes of those 

 under consideration. But before proceeding with 

 the monkeys, I shall pause to relate some of the 

 incidents of my hermitage. 



