Only Four Days Afterwards Some Dyaks Saw Another Mias Near The
Same Place, And Came To Tell Me.
We found it to be a rather large
one, very high up on a tall tree.
At the second shot it fell
rolling over, but almost immediately got up again and began to
climb. At a third shot it fell dead. This was also a full-grown
female, and while preparing to carry it home, we found a young
one face downwards in the bog. This little creature was only
about a foot long, and had evidently been hanging to its mother
when she first fell. Luckily it did not appear to have been
wounded, and after we had cleaned the mud out of its mouth it
began to cry out, and seemed quite strong and active. While
carrying it home it got its hands in my beard, and grasped so
tightly that I had great difficulty in getting free, for the
fingers are habitually bent inwards at the last joint so as to
form complete hooks. At this time it had not a single tooth, but
a few days afterwards it cut its two lower front teeth.
Unfortunately, I had no milk to give it, as neither Malays-
Chinese nor Dyaks ever use the article, and I in vain inquired
for any female animal that could suckle my little infant. I was
therefore obliged to give it rice-water from a bottle with a
quill in the cork, which after a few trials it learned to suck
very well. This was very meagre diet, and the little creature did
not thrive well on it, although I added sugar and cocoa-nut milk
occasionally, to make it more nourishing. WhenI put my finger in
its mouth it sucked with great vigour, drawing in its cheeks with
all its might in the vain effort to extract some milk, and only
after persevering a long time would it give up in disgust, and
set up a scream very like that of a baby in similar
circumstances.
When handled or nursed, it was very quiet and contented, but when
laid down by itself would invariably cry; and for the first few
nights was very restless and noisy. I fitted up a little box for
a cradle, with a soft mat for it to lie upon, which was changed
and washed everyday; and I soon found it necessary to wash the
little Mias as well. After I had done so a few times, it came to
like the operation, and as soon as it was dirty would begin
crying and not leave off until I took it out and carried it to
the spout, when it immediately became quiet, although it would
wince a little at the first rush of the cold water and make
ridiculously wry faces while the stream was running over its
head. It enjoyed the wiping and rubbing dry amazingly, and when I
brushed its hair seemed to be perfectly happy, lying quite still
with its arms and legs stretched out while I thoroughly brushed
the long hair of its back and arms. For the first few days it
clung desperately with all four hands to whatever it could lay
hold of, and I had to be careful to keep my beard out of its way,
as its fingers clutched hold of hair more tenaciously than
anything else, and it was impossible to free myself without
assistance. When restless, it would struggle about with its hands
up in the air trying to find something to take hold of, and, when
it had got a bit of stick or rag in two or three of its hands,
seemed quite happy. For want of something else, it would often
seize its own feet, and after a time it would constantly cross
its arms and grasp with each hand the long hair that grew just
below the opposite shoulder. The great tenacity of its grasp soon
diminished, and I was obliged to invent some means to give it
exercise and strengthen its limbs. For this purpose I made a
short ladder of three or four rounds, on which I put it to hang
for a quarter of an hour at a time. At first it seemed much
pleased, but it could not get all four hands in a comfortable
position, and, after changing about several times, would leave
hold of one hand after the other, and drop onto the floor.
Sometimes when hanging only by two hands, it would loose one, and
cross it to the opposite shoulder, grasping its own hair; and, as
this seemed much more agreeable than the stick, it would then
loose the other and tumble down, when it would cross both and lie
on its back quite contentedly, never seeming to be hurt by its
numerous tumbles. Finding it so fond of hair, I endeavoured to
make an artificial mother, by wrapping up a piece of buffalo-skin
into a bundle, and suspending it about a foot from the floor. At
first this seemed to suit it admirably, as it could sprawl its
legs about and always find some hair, which it grasped with the
greatest tenacity. I was now in hopes that I had made the little
orphan quite happy; and so it seemed for some time, until it
began to remember its lost parent, and try to suck. It would pull
itself up close to the skin, and try about everywhere for a
likely place; but, as it only succeeded in getting mouthfuls of
hair and wool, it would be greatly disgusted, and scream
violently, and, after two or three attempts, let go altogether.
One day it got some wool into its throat, and I thought it would
have choked, but after much gasping it recovered, and I was
obliged to take the imitation mother to pieces again, and give up
this last attempt to exercise the little creature.
After the first week I found I could feed it better with a spoon,
and give it a little more varied and more solid food.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 17 of 112
Words from 16294 to 17309
of 114260
