urian to refresh us, ant here is a bandy tree which seems
to have ripe vones on it.--Go," he added, turning to the orang-utan,
"and send down von or two."

The creature looked helplessly incapable, pitifully unwilling,
scratching its side the while. Evidently it was a lazy monkey.

"Do you hear?" said Verkimier, sternly.

The orang moved uneasily, but still declined to go.

Turning sharply on it, the professor bent down, placed a hand on each of
his knees and stared through the blue goggles into the animal's face.

This was more than it could stand. With a very bad grace it hobbled off
to the Durian tree, ascended it with a sort of lazy, lumbering facility,
and hurled down some of the fruit without warning those below to look
out.

"My little frond is obstinate sometimes," remarked the naturalist,
picking up the fruit, "but ven I bring my glasses to bear on him he
alvays gives in. I never found zem fail. Come now; eat, an' ve vill go
to vork again. Ve must certainly find zee booterflies somevere before
night."

[Illustration: "DO YOU HEAR?" SAID VERKIMIER, STERNLY.--PAGE 187.]

But Verkimier was wrong. It was his destiny not to find the butterflies
that night, or in that region at all, for he and his companion had not
quite finished their meal when a Dyak youth came running up to them
saying that he had been sent by the Rajah to order their immediate
return to the village.

"Alas! ve most go. It is dancherous to disobey zee Rajah--ant I am
sorry--very sorry--zat I cannot show you zee booterflies to-day. No
matter.--Go" (to the Dyak youth), "tell your chief ve vill come. Better
lock zee next time!"

CHAPTER XV.

HUNTING THE GREAT MAN-MONKEY.

Although Professor Verkimier had promised to return at once, he was
compelled to encamp in the forest, being overtaken by night before he
could reach the river and procure a boat.

Next morning they started at daybreak. The country over which they
passed had again changed its character and become more hilly. On the
summits of many of the hills Dyak villages could be seen, and rice
fields were met with as they went along. Several gullies and rivulets
were crossed by means of native bamboo bridges, and the professor
explained as he went along the immense value of the bamboo to the
natives. With it they make their suspension bridges, build their houses,
and procure narrow planking for their floors. If they want broader
planks they split a large bamboo on one si