two days to get up to Kuching, the capital of the
province of Sarawak, after we had entered the mouth of the river on the
banks of which it stands. On either side were hills covered with
jungle, with here and there clearings where the peaceably-disposed
natives had established themselves.

Mr Blyth and I had an opportunity, in company with a gentleman who was
making a shooting expedition, of taking a trip into the interior. I
wish that I could describe the magnificent vegetation, the gigantic
trees, and the curious animals we saw. One of the most curious was the
mias. What is a mias? will be asked. It is the native name of the
far-famed ourang-outang, the principal wild inhabitants of this region.
We were proceeding through the forest, with our guns, when one of our
Dyak companions came running up to tell us that he had seen a mias, and
that if we made haste we might be in time to shoot it.

We hurried on, the Dyak leading the way, until we entered a thick
jungle. He pointed to a tree far above our heads. Upon looking up we
saw a great hairy body and a huge black face gazing down upon us, as if
wondering what strange creatures we could be. Mr Blyth and our friend
fired; whether they had hit the mias we could not tell, but it began to
move away among the higher branches at a rapid rate. Led by the Dyak we
followed, when again we caught sight of it on the branch of a tree,
where it remained for a minute or more. By this time we were joined by
several other Dyaks, whose shouts appeared to frighten the
ourang-outang, which tried to get along the edge of the forest by some
lower trees, keeping, however, beyond the reach of our rifles. The
Dyaks, flourishing their weapons, rushed on ahead of us hoping to have
the honour of killing the monster. We had lost sight of them for a few
seconds, when we heard fearful shrieks and shouts, and running forward,
we saw that the mias had either voluntarily descended the tree, or had
fallen to the ground, and had rushed at one of the natives, who, unable
to escape, was standing with his spear ready to defend himself. We were
afraid in attempting to kill the mias that we might shoot the native,
when, just as the creature was about to seize the man with its mouth and
formidable claws, our friend fired and the animal fell, shot through the
heart.

On measuring the mias, from the top of its head to its heel, we found
that it was four feet two inches long, while its outstretched a