Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 ap-
pear 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 ha-
bitually 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, al-
though I added sugar and cocoa-nut milk occasionally, to make it more nourishing. When I
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
every day; 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 till 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 ridicu-
lously wry faces while the stream was running over its head. It enjoyed the wiping and rub-
bing 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,
