OTHER CHIMPANZEES 



145 



wild beast captured in the jungle. The ape was 

 aware that I was not a familiar kind of thing, and 

 he appeared in doubt as to how he should act to- 

 wards me. He sat down on the ground among the 

 people, and stared at me in surprise, from time to 

 time glancing at those around him as if to ascertain 

 what they thought of me. As they became satisfied 

 with looking, they retired one by one from the 

 scene, until most of them had gone, but the ape 

 remained. He changed his place a few times, but 

 only to get a better view. The people were amused 

 at his manner, but no one molested him. 



At length I spoke to him in his own language, 

 using the sound which they use for calling one 

 another. He looked as if he knew what it meant,, 

 but made no reply. I repeated the sound, when he 

 rose up and stood on his feet as if he intended to 

 come to me. Again I uttered it, and he came a few 

 feet closer, but shied to one side as if to flank my 

 position and get behind me. He stopped again to 

 look, and I repeated the word, in response to which 

 he came up near my right side, and began to examine 

 my clothing. He plucked at my coat-sleeve a few 

 times, then at the leg of my trousers and at the top 

 of my boot. He was getting rather familiar for a 

 stranger, but I felt myself to blame for having given 

 him the license to do so. For a while he continued 

 his investigations, then deliberately put his left hand 

 on my right shoulder, his right foot on my knee, and 

 climbed into my lap. He now began to examine 

 my helmet, ears, nose, chin and mouth. He became 



