272 
FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA. 
from sight by the thick growth of glossy leaves. I was afraid he 
would die up there, and I should never get him or his skeleton. It 
was no use trying to get the Dyaks to climb the tree and cut the 
branch from under him; they were afraid, and said so. We tried 
to dislodge him with all sorts of missiles, but in vain. Finally we 
started to cut down the tree; but when the trunk was severed the 
tree only leaned over, and was held in that position by innumerable 
tough vines running to a dozen neighboring trees. It would take 
us all night to cut them all down; still, we began the work, which 
almost immediately gave the tree such a shaking that down came 
the gigantic orang with a tremendous thud. When we came to 
measure him, we found him a giant indeed, stretching from hand to 
hand over six feet. When he fell the Chinamen lashed him to a 
litter and carried him into camp, where it took Charley and myself 
all day to clean his skin and boil the flesh from his skeleton. From 
this and many similar experiences I have become convinced that, in 
spite of stories to the contrary, the orang-outang never attacks 
man. His policy is always flight, and to my own testimony is added 
that of all the Chinese wood-cutters whom I met in Borneo; and the 
island is full of them, 
A YOUNG ORANG. 
Soon after this a young orang fell into my hands, and I determ¬ 
ined to rear him if I could. I started the Dyak off in search of a 
goat, and told him not to return until he found one. Meanwhile I 
mixed sugar, bread and water together, and, although at first he 
declined it energetically, he soon sucked it from my finger with a 
decided gusto. It proved, however, too strong food for so young 
a stomach, and I was just beginning to think he would die on my 
hands, when the Dyak, followed by a Chinaman and a goat, came 
into camp. The Chinaman was sharp at trading; but finally, after 
pretending that I cared nothing whatever about his goat, and after 
long haggling on his part, starting at one hundred rupees (twelve 
dollars and fifty cents) and coming down to five, the goat became 
mine, and the little orang-outang obtained a step-mother that soon 
rivalled its own mother in tenderness. She nursed it and caressed 
