Ch. 26: Burtran and Bimi - Page 2

outcry, and from Hans' mouth came an imitation
of a snake's hiss, so perfect that I almost sprang to my feet. The
sustained murderous sound ran along the deck, and the wrenching at the
bars ceased. The orang-outang was quaking in an ecstasy of pure terror.

'Dot stopped him,' said Hans. 'I learned dot trick in Mogoung Tanjong
when I was collecting liddle monkeys for some peoples in Berlin. Efery
one in der world is afraid of der monkeys--except der snake. So I blay
snake against monkey, and he keep quite still. Dere was too much Ego in
his Cosmos. Dot is der soul-custom of monkeys. Are you asleep, or will
you listen, and I will tell a dale dot you shall not pelief?'

'There's no tale in the wide world that I can't believe,' I said.

'If you haf learned pelief you haf learned somedings. Now I shall try
your pelief. Goot! When I was collecting dose liddle monkeys--it was in
'79 or '80, und I was in der islands of der Archipelago--over dere in
der dark'--he pointed southward to New Guinea generally--'Mein Gott! I
would sooner collect life red devils than liddle monkeys. When dey do
not bite off your thumbs dey are always dying from nostalgia--home-sick--
for dey haf der imperfect soul, which is midway arrested in
defelopment--und too much Ego. I was dere for nearly a year, und dere I
found a man dot was called Bertran. He was a Frenchman, und he was goot
man--naturalist to his 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 forest, und dey would come. I said he was St. Francis of
Assizi in a new dransmigration produced, und he laughed und said he haf
never preach to der fishes. He sold dem for tripang--beche-de-mer.

'Und dot man, who was king of beasts-tamer men, he had in der house
shust such anoder as dot devil-animal in der cage--a great orang-outang
dot thought he was a man. He haf found him when he was a child--der
orang-outang--und he was child und brother und opera comique all round
to Betran. He had his room in dot house--not a cage, but a room--mit a
bed und sheets, und he would go to bed und get up in der morning und
smoke his cigar und eat his dinner mit Bertran, und walk mit him hand in
hand, which was most horrible. Herr Gott! I haf seen dot beast throw
himself back in his chair und laugh when Bertran haf made fun of me. He
was NOT a beast; he was a man, und he talked to Bertran, und Bertran
comprehend, for I have seen dem. Und he was always politeful to me
except when I talk too long to Bertran und say nodings at all to him.
Den he would pull me away--dis great, dark devil, mit his enormous paws--
shust as if I was a child. He was not a beast; he was a man. Dis I saw
pefore I know him three months, und