The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-04-10
cnntured by a Rimau pahan.

mdifu, ne OF lDt III EtSL lSluuuS VI Jut
East Indian Archipelago, there lived,
a few miles inland from Sunda Strait,
two American fami les whom | will call,
respectively, Mowhray and Sherwood,
the head OF the former owning coffee
plantation and that Ut the latter a large
area of rice fields
The Mowbrays had but one child, a
fine, manly boy of sixteen. while the
Sherwo0ds were the happy parents of
two charming little girls, the elder
named Lillian and the younger, Lulu,
Many years ago, while making pro-
longed stay in southern Sumatra and
an exploration Of some of the smaller
islands, became acquainted with both
these families, ana was much surprised
to find that neither knew of the others
existence, though their estates were
separated only ~ wide bayou, run
ming not very far inland.
This state of things l determined to
remedy 90 the earliest opportunity,
feeling sure that these strangers in a
strange land my own countrymen-
would take much comfort in each 9th
er's society. But the pleasant task OF
introduction was taken out OF my hands
in an unexpected and rather singular
manner. One day Lillian and Lulu
Sherwood, ever in search OF novelties,
had wandered, unattended, nearly a
mile from home and were gathering
flowers along the edge of a bride path
which ran through luXuriant grove of
cocoanut palms and wild orange trees,
when they were so startled by the sud
den appearance of hOrseman, coming
around bend in the path on a gallop,
that they Involuntary sore AIMED out
in affiisht.
The rider, bright-faced boy, carry
ing a siver-mounted rife and bestrid-
ing a beautiful Arab mare, instantly
drew up, raised his hat, and said:
beg your pardon, young ladies. Pm
very sorry to have frightened you, but
l did not see you at all. My name is
Ernest Mowbray. My father is a coffee
planter, and we live about six miles
from here, on the other side of the big
bayou"
HOh, we're not a bit frightened now,'
replied Lillian. ave are Mrs. Sher-
woods little girls. Our papa owns
those rice fields over there, and it's
only little way to our house. We
were just picking some of these flowers;
they're so different from those in our
own country. We came from the United
States of America only two mon his
ago, and everything here seems very
strange to US"
While the child was speaking, Ernest
removed his hat entirely; and when
she uttered the words "United States "
with such evident pride he smiled de-
lightedly, bent almost to his saddle bow,
apologized once more and rode slowly
away.
any! what a nice polite boy; he
speaks English, too; not that horrid
Dutch, Malay and Chinese we hear
every day y exclaimed Lillian.
eyes, and he called US young la
dies " chimed in Lulu.
"Well, In sure we are young ladies !;
I'm past ten and you're nearly nine,"
sagely rejoined Lillian. But l do
wish the boy had stayed longer, so we
could have had good look at his pretty
gun and that lovely horse! don't sup
pose wen ever see him again though"
wherein the small maid was greatly
mistaken.
After a little, the children left the
path and, always finding something
new to admire, strayed deeper into the
wood. By and by they came to a
cleared space, evidently an old Malay
yam or maize field, whereon grew only
a few huge wild orange trees and a
clump or Two of giant cacti. AS they
careiessiy approached one of the latter,
Lulu cried out: "Oh, sister! see that
curious-lookiDg dog lying under the big
cactus. He'> got a pretty red bird be-
tween his paws aud il going to eat it.
Let's 90 and drive him away" Aud
the two innocents walked straight
toward full. grown clouded or tor
toise shell tlger!"
This creature, really species OF
leopard and found only in Sumatra, is
called by the natives "rimau dahan,"
a nam which means, believe, a
climber of fOrked trees. During my
stay on the island saw but two speci-
mems of this, one of the rarest and
most beautiful of the cat family.
The animal is nearly AS large as the
leopard of India, and of similar ar
boreal habits, though ordinarily not
so fierce and dangerous. Its markings
are quite unique, somewhat resembling
those of the true tiger and leopard
and yet not pre- cisely similar to either
presenting, as thy do, a strange adj
mix ure of tiger-like stripes, leopard
like spots, and hollow, disk-like patches
resembling those of the jaguar. The
general ground color of the fur is gray
and along the back of an adult rimau
dahan run Two bands of glossy black
extending from the head to the root o.
the tail, which last is very long anC
covered by dark rings, not greatly dis
similar to those of the American rae
coon. The creatures legs are singu
larly powerful and its tal"ns long ant
sharp, so that if 80 inclined, it car
prove terrible toe to man or beast
though it usually preys, l was told by
Sumatra hunters, only upon birds
monkeys, the young of deer and othel
weak animals.
When the little flower pickers go