one, Adam Haliday, Peter Carruthers, and Joseph Nicholson, being
excellent swimmers, plunged at once into the river and swam across,
though not without both difficulty and danger, and without loss of time
continued the pursuit.

The remainder of us, nine in number, were obliged to go half a day's
journey up the river, to a place called Shekah, where the Tambookies
dragged us over on a hurdle; and we there procured a Kousi, who had a
hound, which he pretended could follow the track of an ourang-outang
over the whole world. We kept at a running pace the whole afternoon; and
at the fall of night, came up with Peter Carruthers, who had lost the
other three. A singular adventure had befallen to himself. He and his
companions had agreed to keep within call of each other; but as he
advanced, he conceived he heard the voice of a child crying behind him
to the right, on which he turned off in that direction, but heard no
more of the wail. As he was searching, however, he perceived an
ourang-outang steal from a thicket, which, nevertheless, it seemed loath
to leave. When he pursued it, it fled slowly, as if with intent to
entice him in pursuit from the spot; but when he turned towards the
thicket, it immediately followed. Peter was armed with a pistol and
rapier; but his pistol and powder had been rendered useless by swimming
the river, and he had nothing to depend on but his rapier. The creature
at first was afraid of the pistol, and kept aloof; but seeing no fire
issue from it, it came nigher and nigher, and seemed determined to have
a scuffle with Carruthers for the possession of the thicket. At length
it shook its head, grinning with disdain, and motioned him to fling the
pistol away as of no use; it then went and brought two great clubs, of
which it gave him the choice, to fight with it. There was something so
bold, and at the same time so generous in this, that Peter took one as
if apparently accepting the challenge; but that moment he pulled out his
gleaming rapier, and ran at the hideous brute, which frightened it so
much, that it uttered two or three loud grunts like a hog, and scampered
off; but soon turning, it threw the club at Peter with such a certain
aim, that it had very nigh killed him.

He saw no more of the animal that night; but when we found Carruthers,
he was still lingering about the spot, persuaded that my child was
there. We watched the thicket all night, and at the very darkest hour,
judge of my trepida