Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/167

 The orang is never trapped for no man has yet succeeded in making a a trap that one will enter and at the same time be strong enough to hold it when its anger is aroused. No one would doubt this statement for a moment if they had ever beheld such a creature in a passion.

On another occasion a hunter, single handed, killed a mother orang with a clean rifle shot through the heart. A little orang was clinging to her breasts and crying like a human baby. He seized the youngster and started to make his way back but he had not gone far when he heard a crashing of branches behind him. He turned and saw that the male orang was hot upon his trail. He discovered to his alarm that an orang could swing itself along through the trees with nearly the same speed that he could run on foot. He had sense enough to drop the baby and fly. The orang paused to pick up the little one and this hampered its progress and allowed the hunter time to escape. A day later the hunter was anxious to return and see if he could find the baby orang again, but the natives begged him not to, for they told him that the chances of losing his life were much more numerous than those of getting his prize. As a matter of fact the male orang raged through the forest for several nights and filled the natives with the greatest fear.

The only thing that the orangs stand in terror of are the great snakes. On one occasion a pair of orangs left their young one sound asleep in their hammock and went off in search of food knowing that no small beast would dare touch it. But a mighty serpent who was travelling through the trees spied the baby and proceeded to steal it. Slowly but surely the snake crept closer to its prey until it was near enough to strike. Like lightning it wound its coils around the poor youngster. The most pitcous squeals were heard and soon there was a loud crashing of branches as the old orangs were hastening to the rescue. The snake heard them coming too and unwound its coils and allowed the baby to go loose, but it fell helplessly to the ground. The snake prepared to do battle, as well it might, for the orangs were close upon it. When they saw their baby stretched out their rage knew no bounds. With hoarse cries they advanced upon their enemy and a fight ensued which it is not often man's lot to witness. The noise was terrific. Troops of monkeys screaming in alarm, swung from the upper branches, while thousands of parrots and tropical birds wheeled above the tree tops adding their cries to the din. The snake struck the first blow and wound its coils around the mother orang, while with its head it endeavoured to keep the male off. But two to one gained the day. The male orang bleeding in half a dozen places at once, kept up the fight until it got the snake's head in its hands and then