The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-11-16

4 1t was in the Island Of Borneo A
, queer place it is, / tell you, and the
queerest lot Of people ever saw in
| my life.
But. at the same time, if q man
gets used to their ways, an old sail
or might have a happy time living
among the Dyacks.
| landed from my ship one day,
and with Ned McKitrick, boy
from the greene isle. / started for a
, cruise on the shore
We reckoned on a hunt, and
brought guns, though we didn't
know what kind of game we were
likely to scare up
And, if / must tell the truth, we
didn't neither of us know much
about gun.
Seth, acushla,n said Ned, "phat
kind av country is this at all
at all ? Look at the threes. By
the grrat gun of Athlone but did We
iver see sech big vans in all yer
loife ?"
/ Where we landed there was lit
tie river making its way down to
the sea, and while we were walking
up to the woods, big water snak e,
as thick as my arm, went buzzing
| up the stream.
| Ned gave a war-whoop and Jump
| ed four feet from the ground for if
there is anything on the face of the
earth that anIrishnan hates it is
snake.
"Look at that fellow, ''he cried
''Shoot him, Seth. Kill him.
Whoop! | never saw sech baste
in all my loife.Y-
got him quiet after while, and
went on into the woods.
Ned was wild at the fruits and
flowers he saw, and if l had let him,
he'd have poisoned himself a dozen
times before we got mile on the
road.
We kept the river for a guide, be-
cause neither of US knew the coun-
try and if we once got lost in the
trackless woods, there was little
chance ofour ever getting ont alive.
Many queer sight and sound
disturbed us, and at last we sat
down under tree and took our
lunch.
| had Just mixed n little stiff horn
of grog, when Ned started up.
Look yer here, Seth" he said.
3See the hairy man. Get out av
that, We black thafe av the world"
Not far away, standing in a stoop-
| ing posture, with his long arms
swinging by his side, was a huge
orang-outang, looking at us in the
queer inquisitive way which seems
so natural to monkeys and those of
her tribe.
He was big FELLOW, nearly as
tall as man ;and no wonder Ned, |
who had never seen anything like
it, thought it was man.
dida't say anything, and Ned
stood looking at the orangin the ug-
ly WY peculiar to an Irishman who
thinks himself imposed upon.
Look here, We rascal" he said,
angrily, dye want anything out av
me p,
The orang did not move or make |
any sound, and Ned began to get |
mad.
fIe shook his head and walked |
towarp the orang in a fighting post |
ure, and l followed, because l didn't |
know what he was going to do.
Now, look" said Ned, extending |
his hand. I've got five fingers-or |
four fingers and a thumb, which |
names the same thing-as we'll as |
you, an, be the powers, av We don't |
spake till me, I'll show We how they |
do the trick in ould Ireland"
IL wouldn't stand his nonsense,
i'll was you, Ned" l said, setting
him on.
He didn't need any backing and |
went closer.
"Now, smell av that fist,n he said,
"an' mark me while l spake. Av
we don't beg my pardon for not an
swering a civil question, may l niv-
er see ould Ireland again av l don't |
knock We into smithereens.
The orang uttered harsh grating |
crackle which Ned took for laugh, |
and he at once slapped the orang
across the jaws and danced around |
him with an Irish yell, his hands |
up in true fighing style.
No one but an Irishman would |
have ever thought of such a thing, |
and was bursting with laughter. |
Step up, you, villain roared
Ned
How dye loike that now"
The orang gave yell like pam
ther and sprang at Ned's throat his !
claws going ike a windmill.
In less time than it takes to tell |
it. Ned was the worst-looking Irish
man in or about the Island of Bor-
neo.
/ don't know what would have
happened to him if hadn't got out
q knife and gave the orang dig,
for / didn't dare to fire at him while
he was hanging on TO Ned and claw
ing into him.
The minute the orang felt the |
knife he lit out, leaving Ned mad
with rage, dancing wildly about,
and blood running down his face
from dozen scratches.
"D'ye call that fair fighting, We
black thafe ?" he roared. How'd
on; I'll come till ye.n
To my surprise he set out on
run after the orang-outang, which
was running away among the trees,
looking over his shoulder with an
angry snarl, and licking up the
blood which flowed from his wound
ed arm.
Ned wouldn't stop, and the only
thing | could do was to run after
him, for | didn't known what kind
Of trouble he'd get into if / wasn't
by to help him.
He was a good runner, and was
overhauling the man-monkey hand
over fist, when four or five more
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