324 
ORANG-OUTANG. 
The orang-outang, on his arrival in Java from Batavia, was allowed 
to be entirely at liberty till within a day or two of being put on board 
the Cassar to be conveyed to England ; and whilst at large, made no 
attempt to escape ; but became violent when put into a large railed 
bamboo cage for the purpose of being conveyed from the island. 
As soon as he felt himself in confinement, he took the rails of the 
cage into his hands, and shaking them violently endeavoured to 
break them in pieces ; but finding that they did not yield generally, 
he tried them separately, and having discovered one weaker than the 
rest, worked at it constantly till he had broken it, and made his 
escape. On board ship an attempt being made to secure him by a 
chain tied to a strong staple, he instantly unfastened it, and ran off' 
with the chain dragging behind ; but finding himself embarrassed bv 
its length, he coiled it once or twice, and threw it over his shoulder. 
This feat he often repeated, and when he found that it would not 
remain on his shoulder, he took it into his mouth. 
After several abortive attempts to secure him more effectually, he 
was allowed to wander freely about the ship, and soon became familiar 
with the sailors, and surpassed them in agility. They often chased 
him about the rigging, and gave him frequent opportunities of dis- 
playing his adroitness in managing an escape. On first starting, he 
would endeavour to outstrip his pursuers by mere speed, but when 
much pressed, elude them by seizing a loose rope, and swinging 
out of their reach. At other times he would patiently wait on the 
shrouds or at the mast-head till his pursuers almost touched him, 
and then suddenly lower himself to the deck by any rope that 
was near him, or bound along the main-stay from one mast to the 
other, swinging by his hands, and moving them one over the 
other. The men would often shake the ropes by which he clung 
with so much violence as to make me fear his falling, but I soon 
found that the power of his muscles could not be easily overcome. 
When in a playful humour, he would often swing within arm’s 
length of his pursuer, and having struck him with his hand, throw 
himself from him. 
