Polynesian., 1856-12-06
Che 1Dolpnesian.
The Wild Man OF the Woods.

| NlCkHdUeSt preluulceS, ana IalSe tneOTleS are
often extremely long lived, especially when pride
vanity helps to preserve their vitality. We have
all prejudice against monkeys and if you begin
with the ugliest and the longest tailed, your dislike
increases at every gradation as you ascend to the
wild man of the woods, who inspires you with in
describable antipathy because of his horrid resem-
blance to yourselves. He appears to stand on the
utmost verge of what we call the lower creation,
and impudently to claim admission into the hu-
man family. But we look at his long feet, his gi-
gantic hands, his colossal neck his broad face, and
the repusive callosites which supply the place of
whiskers and shudderingly push him from US, call
him beast, and shoot him.
Among the philosophers of the last century there
prevailed a notion, put forward half jocuarly but
at bottom perhaps seriously adopted, that men were
only large monkeys, which had worn off their tails
by sitting perpetually on the rocks. The idea may
have originated in strong love of satire, in
dim perception of the theory which represents all
nature IN state of perpetual development, evoY
ing superior out of inferior things, though the germs
of all qualities must have existed in the original
fount of organization. A partisan of this philoso-
ply would probably discover the first rudments of
a court-exquiste in the the wild man of the woods
who builds his house in tree amid the vast forests
of Pulo-kalamantln which, In imitation of the
| ly Spanish navi gators we call Borneo This crea-
| ture, known among the natives as the Mias Papan,
hovers about the farms and villages, if obscurey
hungering after human society. In muscular
strength it far exceeds the Dyak or Malay, and in
all likelihood would prove formidable rival to the
stoutest Cornish wrestler. 1t ventures to face
the bear in the forest, and, unarmed, sometimes
comes off victorious.
Connected with this subject an anecdote is relat-
ed which may be worth repeating. Dyak farmer,
who devoted his industry to the cultivation of the
sugar-cane, learned that mias, who lived in his
neighbUrhood, descended nightly from the forest
To in fol 10
generally bold in defence of their own property.
The worthy Kalamantnese, therefore, taking up a
sharp spear, issued forth after dark, and lay
in wait for the robber. Ii would be difficult to i'm
agine a more lonely or exciting situation. He
walked to and fro he planted himself behind the
stems of huge trees, and looked forth upon the
green expanse of sugar cane, which lay waving and
heaving in the night-breeze beneath the moon. For
considerable time he watched in vain at length
he perceived sitting on the trunk of fallen tree,
the huge marauder quietly masticatlng the sugar
cane, the sweet Juice of which appeared to have
acted upon his senses like the ivor of the fabulous
lOtus for he permitted the yndictive farmer TO ap
prOach and wound him with his spear before he
emerged from his revrrie. Then, however, he
started to his feet, and looking about for the reach
erous enemy, saw large bear emerging from a
cunp of foliage. There no time for delibera-
ton, or FIR asking himself the question, how the
bear, possessing no MISSILES could have wounded
him from distance. Like true warrior he flew at
the first foe that offered himself; and the gruntng
and growing of these fierce combatants, animated
to the highest pitch of fury suggested to the Dyak
farmer the prudence of beating a speedy retreat.
On returning next morning, to the field of battle, he
found the bear lying dead on the ground, and, at
no great distance, the mlas IN the Same condition.
1t is probable however, that but for the deep wound
inflicted by the spear the latter would have obtain
ed the victory, and gone back unscathed to his wife
and little ones, who were no doubt anXouSly eX-
pecting him in their lofty dwelling.
The accounts given of the Dimensions of the mias
are various some writers being inclined to exag-
gerate their height, and some very much TO under
state it. The truth appears to be that, like men,
they differ very greatly in STATURE certain indyidu
ais not exceeding four feet in height, while Others
fall very little short of SIX feet. Their habits and
manners are awful caricature of those Of man.
They utter sounds which suggest the idea of an
imperfect speech: they build houses, though very
rude ones, high up amid the branches of forest
trees, where they live with their females and their
young they traverse the woods by climbing from
bough to bough, the females carrying their young
in one arm, while they make their way among the
branches with the other. The male recOnnotres
the enemy adroitly from behind large trunks or
boughs and will often lose his life fighting in de-
fence of his helpmate. occasionally, it is said,
they carry off Dyak women into the woods, and
compel them to live with them. They constitute, !
doubtless, the strange race OF which so many wild
stories are told among the Arabs, who when of old
they visited the Indian Archipelago, peoped every |
island with myths and legends no less marvellous |
than those which meet us in the Arabian Nights. !
Among these is the tradition preserved in the mar
rative of the Pearl-merchant, that they stole
an old woman, and made her their queen, display |
ing towards her reverence bordering on worship. |
No doubt, the Moslem writer greatly embellished
the anecdote related to him, but there probably ex-
listed some foundation for what he records.
IF any man, like Mr.. White of Selborne, were |
to take up his residence in the Bornean forests and
study there at his leisure the character and habits
of The wild men of the woods, we might probably
come to understand them. At present, we know
little beyond the number of their teeth, the color
of their hair, and the ugliness of their physiogno
mics. Have they faculties capable of cultivation? /
Could they be rendered genter, docile,o even
useful, by careful and consderate treatment
Whether or not, is it permitted man to hunt them
down like wild beasts-to shoot the mother with |
her little ones in her arms-to kill the father while
he stands Up in defence of his family? We once
conversed with traveller, who, after having ndulg
cd for some time in the chase of the Mlas PapaD,
and brought down several individuals to the ground,
was struck with remorse at beholdIng the rolling of
the eyes and the strong expression of agony de-
picted in the cOuntenances OF the wounded. lie II
felt as if he had been committing murder. The
unhappy wretches lay on the earth groaning and
signing like many soldiers pierced IN battle iand
when they breathed forth their lives in blood, they
seemed to put forth strong claim for the forbear
lnce and sympathy of mankind.
An old writer remarks, that in length of time it {
S probable that highly improbable things should {
happen, and accordingly think it not unphiloso
,hical to believe that the mias may to some extent
De taught to speak. Various kinds of birds have t
,een taught to immitate the human voice, but all I
attempts to acquire by this any knowledge of their
Interior organization have proved frqitess. It a
night be different with the mils. He has, doubt