One of them presented a tarsier to Scott. It was a very pretty and curious little creature, belonging to the monkey tribe. It had very large eyes, and was certainly very cunning. It appeared to be playful, but his new owner got a nip from its teeth which warned him to be careful. The most curious part of the animal was its legs, the hind2 ones being much the longer.
Its five slender toes ended in what looked like balls, which proved to be flat, and acted like the foot of a fly, retaining by suction its hold upon the tree where it lived. The spine3 of its neck was so constructed that it could describe a circle with its head. Its long hind legs enabled it to leap like a kangaroo.[68]
The other Malay brought with him a flying dragon, a king of lizards4, said to be the reptile5 from which the fables6 of the original dragons originated. It has a pair of membranes7 with the semblance8 of wings, with which it sustains itself in the air in its leaps from one tree or branch to another, as the flying-fish does in its flights over the water.
The party took leave with many thanks of the Chinese agent, and promised to visit him on their return from up the river. Louis stated that they wanted to kill one full-sized orang-outang, for the one killed by the Malays was so cut up and chopped in the fight that she was not in condition to be stuffed and kept as a good specimen9.
"You will find them on the Simujan, but hardly anywhere else in the island except in this vicinity, on the Sadong, Batang Lupar, and their branches," replied the agent. "The orangs have been hunted so much, especially by naturalists10, that they are becoming scarce; and they are likely to become extinct, for the scientists are looking for the 'missing link,' as they call it."
The speaker laughed as he made the last remark; and it was evident that he was not a Darwinian, or at least that he had not followed out the theory of evolution. Taking their places in the yacht, the captain gave the order to cast off the fasts, the boat stood up the river, and soon passed the scene of the morning's conflict.
"Gibbons!" exclaimed Achang, pointing to a por[69]tion of the forest where the trees were sparsely12 scattered13.
There were half a dozen of them, and they seemed to be engaged in a frolic. This ape has been described in a former volume, for it is abundant in Sumatra. Louis wished to observe the movements of the animal, which has very long arms, is wonderfully agile15, and a gymnast of the first order. It could travel all over Borneo where forests exist without touching16 the ground, passing from tree to tree in long leaps. The boat was stopped in the river, in order to permit the party to witness the exhibition which was in process, without the payment of any admission fee.
Every branch was a trapeze, and no troupe17 of artists could compare with them in the agility18 of their movements. Their long arms appeared to be the key to their marvellous feats19, for their legs were comparatively short, and for the size of their bodies the animals possessed20 immense strength.
"If some enterprising manager of a theatre devoting himself to athletic21 exhibitions could secure the services of the half dozen gibbons which are giving us a free show, he would make his fortune in our country," said Louis. "Don't try to see them all at once, but watch that fellow on the right."
The one indicated grasped a horizontal branch with his hands, his arms looking like the ropes of a swing. He was swaying to and fro with great rapidity, apparently22 trying to see how fast he could[70] go, for he put a tremendous amount of vigor23 into his efforts. In an exhibition hall he would have "brought down the house," and would certainly have received an "encore."
Suddenly, while he was swinging at a dizzy speed, he let go his hold upon the branch, and seemed to be flying through the air; but with his fingered feet he seized another branch, not less than forty feet from the first, and, with his long arms extended to the utmost, continued to swing in this inverted24 position. The observers were so delighted with this skilful25 performance that they applauded lustily by clapping their hands. The noise did not disturb the performers, and the actor that had so distinguished26 himself appeared to put even greater vigor into his movements.
Possibly he was getting up a momentum27; for he soon released the hold of his feet on the branch, went flying through the air with his long arms extended ahead of him in the direction of another favorable limb of a tree, and grasped it with his hands. After swinging for a moment, he drew himself up on the branch, and proceeded to walk up to a greater height, using his hands to assist in keeping his equilibrium28. This was a fair specimen of the performance of every member of the troupe.
One of the company appeared to see something on the ground that attracted his attention; and he made a flying leap to a lower branch, and then dropped himself upon the soil. Looking about him for a[71] moment, he apparently discovered a bush with some sort of fruit on it, for he immediately began to walk towards it. As a walkist he was far from being a success, and his awkward movements excited the laughter of the interested spectators. In his present rôle he would have made an excellent clown in a circus ring.
His short legs seemed to be incapable29 of fully14 supporting his body, and he behaved like an inexperienced athlete walking on a tight rope without a balancing-pole. His long arms served as this implement30, and with a bend at the elbows and the hands dropped down, he waddled31 along very slowly.
"It's heavy sea for that fellow, and he looks like a landlubber trying to walk the deck in a rough sea," said Captain Scott. "But I fancy the performance is over, and it is time to shoot some of the actors if that is what you intend to do."
"For one, I don't intend to do anything of the sort," replied Louis, with considerable energy in his tones. "I don't believe in killing32 for the sake of killing, or for the fun of it. My admiration33 of the skilful performance we have just witnessed will not allow me to kill the actors or any of them."
"What did we come to Borneo for, Louis?" asked the captain.
"To see the country, and explore some of its rivers."
"I thought we came here to hunt and fish," added Scott.
"I did not come here to kill harmless creatures[72] for the fun of it. We want a full-grown orang, and I am ready to hunt for him," replied Louis. "We want him for the purpose of study, and to show to our friends on board of the ship. I don't object to shooting any bird or animal to extend our information."
Louis had his double-barrelled fowling-piece in his hand. Suddenly he brought it to his shoulder and fired. All eyes were directed to the shore, and a large bird was seen to drop upon the ground. The captain started the boat, and ran her up to the bank. Clinch34 leaped ashore35, and soon brought the bird on board. Its plumage was highly colored and very beautiful.
"What do you call that bird, Louis?" asked Morris.
"Chambers36 calls it simply the argus, but the more common name is the argus-pheasant," replied Louis.
"Faix, he's a magnificent crayter; and what a long tail our cat has got," added Felix, as he spread the bird out on the gunwale.
The last remark referred to the long tail of the bird, which made the entire length from the bill to the end of it about five feet. Only two of the feathers were thus prolonged, adding about three feet to the dimension. The variety of colors were jet black, deep brown, fawn37, white, and a number of secondary hues38. The bird, deprived of his feathers, is about the size of an ordinary hen.[73]
"But you can't see him at his best now that he is dead," continued Louis, who had read up the animal life he expected to find in Borneo. "Like a peacock, though to a less extent, he can spread out his pretty feathers, but not in the same manner; for they open out in the form of a circle, making a sort of round disk on his back and concealing39 his head. If you could see the bird alive with his wings spread out you would find every feather had a number of marks that look like eyes, and seventeen have been counted on one of them. Each of these marks consists in part of a jet-black ring, with other different colored rings inside of it, which make the whole figure like an eye.
"You remember a fellow who was called Argus in mythology40, who had a hundred eyes, of which only two were ever asleep at the same time. This bird gets his name from him; though the story is that Mercury killed him, and Venus transferred his eyes to the tail of the peacock."
"Thanks for the lecture, Louis," said Scott when he had finished his description. "It was certainly a part of our plan in coming to Borneo to study natural history; and we are doing so instead of shooting all the time."
Just at this moment Felix, who had wandered from the fore1 cabin to the waist, discharged his fowling-piece. The Milesian was as good a shot as Louis, for both of them had been trained in the same shooting-gallery in New York. All hands rushed to the[74] rail to ascertain42 what the hunter had brought down. On the bank of the river they discovered a creature about two feet long, lying on its back, and struggling in its death-throes.
Lane leaped ashore, and soon laid the animal on the gunwale of the boat by the side of the argus. It was a queer-looking creature about the head, and no one on board except Achang had ever seen one like it. For the length of the head, the muzzle43 was very broad, hardly less than three inches. It was covered with a soft and rather long fur on its body, dark brown in color.
"What do you call my game, Mr. Naturalist11?" demanded Felix, addressing Louis, who was looking the animal over.
"Cynogale Bennetti," replied the young naturalist very gravely.
"Faix, that's jist what I thought he was whin Oi foired at him," added Felix. "Sin O, gal41! But what had Ben Netty to do wid it? Or was Netty the name of the gal?"
"I gave you the scientific name because this creature has no plain English name, though the natives here call it the mampalon," added Louis.
"That's what we call it; but I forgot the name," said Achang.
"He is one of the otter44 family; and Mr. Hornaday, whose book I hope you will all read when you return to the ship, thought it might be called the otter-cat. I wish we could have taken him alive, for it would[75] have made a very nice specimen to set up in the cabin of the Guardian-Mother."
"I should like to knock over the big orang-outang you want, Louis, my darling," continued Felix. "There comes a covered sampan up the river," he added, pointing down the stream.
Many such covered boats are used on the rivers. On a frame of bamboo or other wood was a covering of leaves, each of which is six to seven feet long, and two inches wide. They are sewed together with a thread of rattan45, overlaying each other, like tiles or shingles46, thus shedding the rain. They were in strips or squares, so that they could be readily removed. The sides were sometimes curtained with the same material. The long leaves are taken from the nipa palm, which grows abundantly in the island, and serves a great many useful purposes.
The boat waited to see the covered sampan, and later there appeared to be two of them. As they approached, the familiar voice of the Chinese agent was heard hailing the party. It appeared that this gentleman was bound up the river to a Dyak village, a few miles farther up.
"You had better go with us," said the agent, as his sampan stopped abreast47 of the steamer. "I spoke48 to you about a Dyak long-house; and you will have an opportunity to examine one, and to sleep in it if you are disposed to do so. You will be received very kindly49, and have a chance to see the people as well as the houses."[76]
"Thank you, Mr. Eng Quee; we will certainly go with you," replied Captain Scott, prompted by Louis. "We will heave you a line, and tow you up."
In a few minutes more the steamer moved up the river with the two sampans in tow.
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1
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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fables
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| n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说 | |
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7
membranes
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| n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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naturalists
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| n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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troupe
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| n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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inverted
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| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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clinch
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| v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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41
gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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42
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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43
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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44
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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rattan
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| n.藤条，藤杖 | |
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46
shingles
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| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
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47
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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48
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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49
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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