CHAP. IV.] 



IfAKjm A NEST, 



51 



fired, he niovpd higher up the tree, find while lie was doing 

 fill T fired agjiin ; and we then saw that one arm was 

 broken. ITe had now reached the very hi<:hest part of an 

 immense tree, and immediately Ijcjran breaking ofT boii^^hs 

 all arotmd, and layinj^ them acrosij and across to make a 

 nest. It was very interesting to see bow well be bad 

 choaen his plaee, and bow rapidly be stretched out his 

 nnwotmded arm in every direction, breakinj:^ o(T ffood- 

 si^ed boufibft with the greatest ease, and laying tbem back 

 across each other, bo tliat in a few luinntes he bad forined 

 a compact mass of foliage, which entirely concealed birti 

 from our si-;bt. He was evidently goin^j to pass the night 

 here, and would probably get away early the next morn- 

 ing, if not wounded too severely. I therefore fired again 

 several tinies, in hopes of making hira leave his nest ; but, 

 thongh I felt pure I bad hit him, as at each shot he moved 

 a little, he would not go away'. At length lie raised him- 

 self up, so that half bis body was visible, and then 

 grail ually sank down, his head alone remaining on the 

 edge of the nest. I now felt sure he was dead, and tried 

 to persuade the Cbinainan and bis companion to cut down 

 the tree ; but it was a veiy large one, and they had been 

 at work all day, and nothing w^ould induce them to 

 attempt it The next morning, at daybreidv, I came to 

 the place, and found that the Mias was evidently dead, as 

 his bead was visible in exactly the same position as before. 

 I now offered four Chinamen a day's wages eacb to cut the 

 tree down at once, as a few hom-s of sunshine would cause 

 decomposition on the surface of the skin; but, after looking 

 at it and trying it, they determined that it was very big 

 and very ban], and would not attempt it. Had I doubled 

 my offer, tliey would probably have accepted it, as it would 

 not liave been more than two or thi-ee hours' work ; and 

 bad I been on a short visit oidy I would have done so ; 

 but as I was a resident, and intended remaining several 

 montlis longer, it woald not have answered to begin paying 

 too exorbitantly, or I should have got nothing done in 

 future at a lower rate. 



For some weeks after, a cloud of flies could be seea 

 all day, hovering over the body of the dead Mias ; but in 

 about a month all was quiet, and the body was evidently 



£ 2 



