Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-07-13
BIMI.
By RUDYARD KIPLING.

Inc AialE -buldnS III tue biE lIhi
cage dashed to the sheep pen began tn,
discussion. The night was stifingly
hot, and as Hans Breitmann and pass
ed him, dragging our bedding TO tn,
fore peak Of the steamer he reused him
self and chartered obscenely. He hat
been caught somewhere in the MalayaI
archipelago and was going to England
TO be exhibited at a shilling head
1T would be well for you, mint
friend, if you was fiddle seasick,
said Hans Breitmann, pausing by the
cage. "You hat too much ego in your
cosmos.
The orang-outang' s arm slid out neg
ligently from between the bars. No one
would have believed that il would make
a sudden snakelike rush at the Ger
man breast. The thin silk of the sleep
ing suit tore ont. Hans stepped back
! unconcernedly TO pluck banana from
bunch hanging close to one of the
boats
TOO much ego, 4" said he, peeling
the fruit and offering ii TO the Gagged
devil, who was rending the silk to tat
ters
''If he was out now, dere would not
be much of us left hereabouts, said
Hans lazily. "He screams good See
now how | shall tame him when he
stops himself -
There was pause in the outcry, and
/ from Hans mouth came an imitation
of a snakes hiss, so perfect that / al
most sprang to my feet. The sustained
murder0us sound ran along the deck,
and the wrenching at the bars ceased.
The orang-outaDg was quaking in an
ecstasy Of pure terror
dot stop him, said Hans 81
learned dot trick in Mogoung Taniong
when was collecting fiddle monkeys
for some peoples in Berlin. Are you
asleep. OF will yen listen, und / will
tell dale dot you shall not pellet p
"There is no tale in the wide world
that / can't believe l said
Good When ! was collecting dose
fiddle monkeys-it was in 1879 or 1880
-und | was in der islands of der archi-
pelago, over dere in der dark he
pointed southwark to New Guinea gen
erally-"mein Gottl | would sooner
collect life red devils than fiddle mon
keys. / was dere for nearly a year, ind
dere | found a man dot was called Ber-
tran. He was a Frenchman, und he
was a good man-naturalist to der bone
Dey said he was an escaped convict. but
he was naturalist, und dot was enough
for me, He would call all der life beasts
from der forests ind dey would come.
"Und dot man, who was king of
beasts tanner men, he had in der house
shust such anoder as dot devil animal
in der cage-a great orang-outang dot
thought he was man. He hat found
him when he was a child-der orang-
outang he was child und brother
und opera comique all round to Ber-
tran. He had his room in dot house
not a cage, but room-mit bed und
sheets und he would 90 to bed ind get
up in der morning und smoke his cigar
ind eat his dinner NIT Bertran ind
walk init him hand in hand, which was
most horrible. Colt He was not a
beast He was man. und be talked to
Bertran, und Bertran comprehended,
for / hat seen dem. Und he was al !
ways politeful to me except when talk |
too long to Bertran und say holdings at |
all to him. Den he would pull me away
dis great, dark devil, NIT his enor-
nous paws--shust as if was child.
und Bimi, der orang-outang, hat I'M
derstood us both, nit his cigar between
his big dog teeth und der blue gum.
II was dere a year-dere und at der |
oder islands-somedimes for monkeys |
und sometimes for butterflies und or
chits. One time Bertran says to me dot |
he will be married. because he haf
found a girl dot was goot Den he 20
off counting der girl-she was a half |
caste French girl-very pretty. Haf you
got new light for my cigar2 Oof
Very pretty Only / say Half You
thought of Bimi If he pulls me away /
when | talk to you what will he do to |
your wifei He will pull her in pieces |
If was you, Bertran, | would gif my
wife for wedding present der stuff fig
ure of Bimi. By dot time had learned |
Something's about der monkey peoples |
Shoot him 2 says Bertran. He is your
beast said. If he was mine he would
be shot now
Den | felt at der back of my neck
der fingers of Bimi. Mein Gottl tell |
you dot he talked through dose fingers
II was der deaf und dumb alphabet all |
complete He slide his hairy arm round
my neck. und he tilt up my chin und
look into my face, shust to see if | I'M
derstood his talk so well as he under
stood mine
"'See now derer says Bertran. 'Und
you would shoot him while he is cud-
ding your Dot is der Teuton migrated
"But knew dot hat made Bimi a
life's enemy, because his fingers hat talk
murder through der back of my neck.
Next dime see Bimi dere was a pistol
in my belt, und he touch il once. uhd
open der breech 10 show him il was
loaded he haf seen der fiddle monkeys
killed in der woods. und he understood.
80 Bertran he was married, ind he
forgot clean about Bimi dot was skip
ping alone on der beach NIT der half Of