The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-26
B I NJ ].
By RUDYARD KIPLlNe.

By RUDYARD KIPLING.
The orang-outang in the big iron
cage lashed to the sheep. pen began the
discussion. The night was stifingly
8 hot, and as Hans Breitmann and pass
ed him, dragging our bedding to the
fore peak of the steamer, he reused him
SELF and chartered obscenely. He had
8 been caught somewhere in the Malayan
archipelago and was going to England
10 be exhibited at shilling head.
eft would be, well for you, mine
friend, if you was a liddle seasick,
said Hans Breitmann, pausing by the
cage. You haf too much ego in your
cosmos y
The orang- -outang's arm slid out neg
!. lgently from between the bars No one
would have believed that it would make
sudden snakelike rush at the Ger
man breast The thin silk of the sleep
ing suit tore out. Hans stepped back
uncencernedly to pluck banana from
bunch hanging close to one of the
boats
tsToo much ego" said he, peeling
the fruit and offering it to the Gagged
devil who was rending the silk to tat
ters.
eff he was out now, dere would not
be much Of us left hereabouts, said
Hans lazily. ssHe screams good. See
now how I shall tame him when he
stops himself. .
There was pause in the outcry, and
from Hans mouth came an imitation
Of snakes hiss, SO perfect that al
most sprang to my feet. The sustained
murderous sound ran along the deck,
and the wrenching at the bars ceased.
s The orang-outang was quaking in az
ecstasy of pure terror.
IS .sDot stop him, said Hans 81
learned dot trick in Mogoung Tanjong
when I was collecting Eddle monkeys
for some peoples in Berlin. Are you
! asleep, or will you listen, ind I will
tell a dale dot you shall not pelief?"
.sThere is no tale in the wide world
that can't believe said.
.sGoodl When was collecting dose
Iiddle monkeys-it was in 1879 or 1880
und I was in der islands Of der archi-
pelage, over dere in der dark"-he
pointed southwark to New Guinea gen.
erany-st stmein Gottl would sooner
collect life red devils than lSjdle mon
keys I was dere for nearly year, und
dere found man dot was called Ber-
tran He was a Frenchman, und he
was good man-naturalist to der bone
Dey said he was an escaped convict, but
hewasa naturalist, und dot was enough
for me. He would cali all der life beasts
from der forests, und dey would come.
.sUnd dot man, who was king Of
beasts tanner men, he had in der house
shust such anoder as dot devil animal
In der cageAa great orang- -outang dct
thought he was man. he haf found
him when he was a cbild-der orang-
outang-und he was child und brother
und opera comique all round to Ber-
tran. He Lad his room in dot house
not cage, but a room-mit bed und
sheets, und he would go to bed und get.
up in Ger morning und smoke his cigar
und eat MS dinner NIT Bertran und
walk NIT him hand in hand, which was
most horrible Gottl He was not
beast. He was man, und he talked to
Bertran, und Bertran comprehenGsd.
for I haf seen dem. Und he was al
ways politeful to me except when talk
teo long to Bertran und say nodings at
all to him. Den he would pull me away
dis great, dark devil, nit his enor-
mous paws-shust as if was child.
md Bimi, der orang-outang, hat un-
iIerstood us both, NIT his cigar between
pis big dog teeth und der blue gum.
ssI was dere year-dere und at der
oder islands-somedimes for monkeys
und sometimes for butterflies und or
chits. One time Bertran says to me dot
ne will be married, because he haf
found a girl dot was goot. Den he go
off courting der girl-she was a half
caste French girl-very pretty. Haf you
got a new light for my cigar? Oofi
Very prettyi Only l say: 'Haf you
thought of Bimi: If he pulls me away
when talk to you, what will ne do to
your wife? He viii 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. says Bertran. 'He is your
beast. said If he was mine he would
be shot now.
.sDen I felt at der back of my neck
der fingers of Bimi. Mein Gott! I tell
you dot he talked through dose fingers
1t was der deaf und dumb alphabet all
complete He slide his hairy arm round
my neck, und he tilt up my chin und
-iock into my face, shust to see if un-
Gerstood ms talk so we'll as he under
stood nine
kTv