CHAP. IV.] 



A MIJS HUNT. 



47 



a road, in which several Clduaiiien were working, so that 

 tlie animal could not escape into the swampy forest below 

 without descending to cross the road or ascending to get 

 round thu clearings. We walked cavitiously along, not 

 rniikiiig tlie least noise, and listening attentively for any 

 sound which might betray the presence of the ?klia.s. 

 stopping at intervals to gaze upwards. Cliarley so»ii 

 joined us at the place where he had seen the creature, ami 

 rtavhig taken the ammunition and put a bullet m tlie 

 i>ther barrel we dispei"sed a little, feeling sare that it must 

 be somewhere near, as it had probably descended the hill, 

 and %vould not be likely to return again. After a short 

 time I heard a very slight nistling sound overlieadj but on 

 gazing up could see nothing. I moved about in every 

 direction to get a full view into every part of the tree 

 under %vhit;h I had been standing, when I again heard the 

 same noise but louder, and saw the leaves shaking as if 

 caused by the motion of some heavy animal which moved 

 off to an adjoining tree, I immediately shouted for all of 

 them to come up and try and get a view, so as to allow me 

 to have a shot. Tins was not an easy matter, as the Mias 

 bad a knack of selecting places with dense foliage beneath. 

 Very soon, however, one of the Dyaks called me and 

 pointed upwards, and on lookmg I saw a great red hairy 

 body and a huge black face gazing down from a great 

 height, as if wanting to know what was making such a 

 disturbance below, I instantly fired, and ho made oif at 

 once, so that I could not then tell wliether I had hit him. 



Ke now moved very rapidly and very noiselessly for so 

 large an animal, so I told the Dyaks to follow and keep 

 lum in sight while I loaded. The jungle was here full of 

 large angular fragments of rock from the mountain ab<>ve, 

 and thick with hanging and twisted creepers. Running, 

 climbing, and creeping among these, we came up with the 

 creature on the top of a high tree near the i-oad, where the 

 Chinamen had discovered him, and were shouting their 

 a:5tonishment with open mouth : Ya Ya, Tuan ; Orang- 

 utan, Tuan/' Seeing that he could not pass here without 

 descending, he turned up again towards the hill, and I got 

 two shots, and following quickly had two more by the 

 time he had agaiu reached the path ; but he was always 



