Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-03-14

GWJ in search of monkeys
-NIKL<e and parrots for the
IS great animal dealer at
Hamburg. The craft and crew were
under the charter for four months.
The captain was a Singapore half
breed. and his three sailors and n
cook were Borneo born. had my
man Thomas with me, and the only
cargo we carried consisted Of cages
and articles for traffic.
We had been knocked about for
several weeks, landing on various ISL
ands in the Borneo Sea to make
captiyes, and were at anchor besides
small island called kui, when q
trader from the Mindanao Peninsula
came along and gave US some inter
esting news. His craft carried only
three men, but had run short
water and been obliged to put in at
an island thirty miles to the east for
water. The island was about three
miles square and thickly wooded,
and entirely without settlement.
When at anchor in sheltered hay,
and just as they had hoisted in their
eask of water, they were set upon by
several hundred apes OF large size
and terribly frightened. The craft
was only twice her length from shore
and the apes bombnrded her with
clubs and stones. A score of these
animals had been preserved as proofs.
The trader gave us warning to look
out for ourselves five went that way,
and we made him a present of to
bacco and at once set sail. The apes
he described were just the species ]
was locking for, being what is
called in the east ''goriIlas' children"
They are found only in Sumatra and
Borneo and on a few OF the islands
in the Borneo Sea. tits an establish
ed fact that every seven years these
apes are subject TO an epidemic
which sweeps them off in large num-
bers, and for this reason they have
been scarce for many years past. In
the year 1864 a trader who landed
on the island OF Kriem, about 200
miles from Manila, discovered over
500 dead apes along the beach.
We reached the bay the trader had
told us of about nine O'Clock next
morning. The shore pitched off into
deep water, and we anchored with
Just room enough for her to swing
to the tides. This brought the
stem of the craft within forty ieet oil
the trees when the tide came in, but
of course we had to use the yawl to
go ashore. We neither saw non
heard anything except the gaudycol
ored parrots flying about, and after
we had been at anchorabouta an hour
! took my man and went ashore
The island was perfect tangle. The
trees grew almost as thick as they
could stand, and the ground was
covered with creepers and rank veg
tation. We were a quarter Of a
mile from the beech before the ground
cleared, and then we failed to gel
sight of an ape. As it was a very
hot afternoon the chances were that
they were asleep in the thick OF the
forest. We had brought along will
us some pieces Of cloth of various col
ors and these we now hung on limb,
and bushes and scattered along Oh
the ground to ''bait" the apes &c
the landing.
We had made our way quietly n,
possible. as / fully believed in wha
the trader had told me. When w
reached the landing got my monk
ey traps from the schooner. 1'hes,
IRE steel traps with padded jaws
We set ak OF them opposite tn,
craft, and the only bait we used wa
a red rag tied TO the catch. Goins
on board we had dinner, and then
brought out IL heavy rifle and free
three shots into the woods. Tina
was to wake up the apes, and i
wasn't ten minutes before we heart
from them. Shrieks and cries AM
calls resounded through the iores
anu llen llle uPGH lhll9 S"dt NV
down to the shore. The coiorel
clothes angered and excited them t.
the highest pitch, and their comm!
was like that OF mn enraged mob Q
human beings. The advance guar
had scarcely appeared before the
rushed upon the traps in great fury
and to their OWE great sorrow. Ey
cry trap received victim, and ever
victim screamed and shrieked an
jumped about in the most cxcitin.
manner
The number Of apes dumbiounde
me. | honestly believe there wer