BURTRAN AND BIMI
The orang-outang in the big iron cage lashed to the sheep-pen began thediscussion. The night was stiflingly hot, and as I and Hans Breitmann,the big-beamed German, passed him, dragging our bedding to the fore-peakof the steamer, he roused himself and chattered obscenely. He had beencaught somewhere in the Malayan Archipelago, and was going to Englandto be exhibited at a shilling a head. For four days he had struggled,yelled, and wrenched at the heavy bars of his prison without ceasing,and had nearly slain a lascar, incautious enough to come within reach ofthe great hairy paw.
'It would be well for you, mine friend, if you was a liddle seasick,'said Hans Breitmann, pausing by the cage.' You haf too much Ego in yourCosmos.'
The orang-outang's arm slid out negligently from between the bars. Noone would have believed that it would make a sudden snakelike rush atthe German's breast. The thin silk of the sleeping-suit tore out; Hansstepped back unconcernedly to pluck a banana from a bunch hanging closeto one of the boats.
'Too much Ego,' said he, peeling the fruit and offering it to the cageddevil, who was rending the silk to tatters.
Then we laid out our bedding in the bows among the sleeping Lascars, tocatch any breeze that the pace of the ship might give us. The sea waslike smoky oil, except where it turned to fire under our forefootand whirled back into the dark in smears of dull flame. There was athunderstorm some miles away; we could see the glimmer of the lightning.The ship's cow, distressed by the heat and the smell of the ape-beast inthe cage, lowed unhappily from time to time in exactly the same key asthat in which the look-out man answered the hourly call from the bridge.The trampling tune of the engines was very distinct, and the jarringof the ash-lift, as it was tipped into the sea, hurt the procession ofhushed noise. Hans lay down by my side and lighted a good-night cigar.This was naturally the beginning of conversation. He owned a voice assoothing as the wash of the sea, and stores of experiences as vast asthe sea itself; for his business in life was to wander up and down theworld, collecting orchids and wild beasts and ethnological specimens forGerman and American dealers. I watched the glowing end of his cigar waxand wane in the gloom, as the sentences rose and fell, till I was nearlyasleep. The orang-outang, troubled by some dream of the forests of hisfreedom, began to yell like a soul in purgatory, and to pluck madly atthe bars of the cage.
'If he was out now dere would not be much of us left hereabout,' saidHans lazily. 'He screams goot. See, now, how I shall tame him when hestops himself.'
There was a pause in the outcry, and from Hans' mouth came an imitationof a snake's hiss, so perfect that I almost sprang to my feet. Thesustained murderous sound ran along the deck, and the wrenching at thebars ceased. The orang-outang was quaking in an ecstasy of pure terror.
'Dot stopped him,' said Hans. 'I learned dot trick in Mogoung Tanjongwhen I was collecting liddle monkeys for some peoples in Berlin. Eferyone in der world is afraid of der monkeys--except der snake. So I blaysnake against monkey, and he keep quite still. Dere was too much Ego inhis Cosmos. Dot is der soul-custom of monkeys. Are you asleep, or willyou listen, and I will tell a dale dot you shall not pelief?'
'There's no tale in the wide world that I can't believe,' I said.
'If you haf learned pelief you haf learned somedings. Now I shall tryyour pelief. Goot! When I was collecting dose liddle monkeys--it was in'79 or '80, und I was in der islands of der Archipelago--over dere inder dark'--he pointed southward to New Guinea generally--'Mein Gott! Iwould sooner collect life red devils than liddle monkeys. When deydo not bite off your thumbs dey are always dying fromnostalgia--home-sick--for dey haf der imperfect soul, which is midwayarrested in defelopment--und too much Ego. I was dere for nearly a year,und dere I found a man dot was called Bertran. He was a Frenchman, undhe was goot man--naturalist to his bone. Dey said he was an escapedconvict, but he was naturalist, und dot was enough for me. He would callall der life beasts from der forest, und dey would come. I said he wasSt. Francis of Assizi in a new dransmigration produced, und helaughed und said he haf never preach to der fishes. He sold dem fortripang--beche-de-mer.
'Und dot man, who was king of beasts-tamer men, he had in der houseshust such anoder as dot devil-animal in der cage--a great orang-outangdot thought he was a man. He haf found him when he was a child--derorang-outang--und he was child und brother und opera comique all roundto Betran. He had his room in dot house--not a cage, but a room--mita bed und sheets, und he would go to bed und get up in der morning undsmoke his cigar und eat his dinner mit Bertran, und walk mit him handin hand, which was most horrible. Herr Gott! I haf seen dot beast throwhimself back in his chair und laugh when Bertran haf made fun of me.He was NOT a beast; he was a man, und he talked to Bertran, und Bertrancomprehend, for I have seen dem. Und he was always politeful to meexcept when I talk too long to Bertran und say nodings at all to him.Den he would pull me away--dis great, dark devil, mit his enormouspaws--shust as if I was a child. He was not a beast; he was a man. Dis Isaw pefore I know him three months, und Bertran he haf saw the same; andBimi, der orang-outang, haf understood us both, mit his cigar betweenhis big dog-teeth und der blue gum.
'I was dere a year, dere und at dere oder islands--somedimes for monkeysund somedimes for butterflies und orchits. One time Bertran says to medot he will be married, because he haf found a girl dot was goot, und heenquire if this marrying idee was right. I would not say, pecause it wasnot me dot was going to be married. Den he go off courting der girl--shewas a half-caste French girl--very pretty. Haf you got a new light formy cigar? Ouf! Very pretty. Only I say, "Haf you thought of Bimi? If hepull me away when I talk to you, what will he do to your wife? He willpull her in pieces. If I was you, Bertran, I would gif my wife forwedding-present der stuff figure of Bimi." By dot time I had learnedsome dings about der monkey peoples. "Shoot him?" says Bertran. "He isyour beast," I said; "if he was mine he would be shot now!"
'Den I felt at der back of my neck der fingers of Bimi. Mein Gott! Itell you dot he talked through dose fingers. It was der deaf-and-dumbalphabet all gomplete. He slide his hairy arm round my neck, und he tiltup my chin und looked into my face, shust to see if I understood histalk so well as he understood mine.
'"See now dere!" says Bertran, "und you would shoot him while he iscuddlin' you? Dot is der Teuton ingrate!"
'But I knew dot I had made Bimi a life's-enemy, pecause his fingers haftalk murder through the back of my neck. Next dime I see Bimi dere was apistol in my belt, und he touched it once, und I open der breech to showhim it was loaded. He haf seen der liddle monkeys killed in der woods:he understood.
'So Bertran he was married, and he forgot clean about Bimi dot wasskippin' alone on der beach mit der half of a human soul in his belly.I was see him skip, und he took a big bough und thrash der sand tillhe haf made a great hole like a grave. So I says to Bertran, "For anysakes, kill Bimi. He is mad mit der jealousy."
'Bertran haf said "He is not mad at all. He haf obey und lofe my wife,und if she speak he will get her slippers," und he looked at his wifeagross der room. She was a very pretty girl.
'Den I said to him, "Dost dou pretend to know monkeys und dis beast dotis lashing himself mad upon der sands, pecause you do not talk to him?Shoot him when he comes to der house, for he haf der light in his eyedot means killing--und killing." Bimi come to der house, but dere was nolight in his eye. It was all put away, cunning--so cunning--und he fetchder girl her slippers, und Bertran turn to me und say, "Dost dou knowhim in nine months more dan I haf known him in twelve years? Shall achild stab his fader? I haf fed him, und he was my child. Do not speakthis nonsense to my wife or to me any more."
'Dot next day Bertran came to my house to help me make some wood casesfor der specimens, und he tell me dot he haf left his wife a liddlewhile mit Bimi in der garden. Den I finish my cases quick, und I say,"Let us go to your houses und get a trink." He laugh and say, "Comealong, dry mans."
'His wife was not in der garden, und Bimi did not come when Bertrancalled. Und his wife did not come when
he called, und he knocked at herbedroom door und dot was shut tight--locked. Den he look at me, und hisface was white. I broke down der door mit my shoulder, und der thatch ofder roof was torn into a great hole, und der sun came in upon der floor.Haf you ever seen paper in der waste-basket, or cards at whist on dertable scattered? Dere was no wife dot could be seen. I tell you dere wasnodings in dot room dot might be a woman. Dere was stuff on der floorund dot was all. I looked at dese things und I was very sick; butBertran looked a liddle longer at what was upon the floor und der walls,und der hole in der thatch. Den he pegan to laugh, soft und low, und Iknew und thank Gott dot he was mad. He nefer cried, he nefer prayed. Hestood all still in der doorway und laugh to himself. Den he said, "Shehaf locked herself in dis room, and he haf torn up der thatch. Fi donc!Dot is so. We will mend der thatch und wait for Bimi. He will surelycome."
'I tell you we waited ten days in dot house, after der room was madeinto a room again, und once or twice we saw Bimi comin' a liddle wayfrom der woods. He was afraid pecause he haf done wrong. Bertran calledhim when he was come to look on the tenth day, und Bimi come skippingalong der beach und making noises, mit a long piece of black hair in hishands. Den Bertran laugh and say, "Fi donc!" shust as if it was a glassbroken upon der table; und Bimi come nearer, und Bertran was honey-sweetin his voice und laughed to himself. For three days he made love toBimi, pecause Bimi would not let himself be touched. Den Bimi come todinner at der same table mit us, und the hair on his hands was all blackund thick mit-mit what had dried on der hands. Bertran gave him sangareetill Bimi was drunk and stupid, und den----'
Hans paused to puff at his cigar.
'And then?' said I.
'Und den Bertran he kill him mit his hands, und I go for a walk upon derbeach. It was Bertran's own piziness. When I come back der ape he wasdead, und Bertran he was dying abofe him; but still he laughed liddleund low und he was quite content. Now you know der formula of derstrength of der orang-outang--it is more as seven to one in relation toman. But Bertran, he haf killed Bimi mit sooch dings as Gott gif him.Dot was der miracle.'
The infernal clamour in the cage recommenced. 'Aha! Dot friend of ourshaf still too much Ego in his Cosmos. Be quiet, dou!'
Hans hissed long and venomously. We could hear the great beast quakingin his cage.
'But why in the world didn't you help Bertran instead of letting him bekilled?' I asked.
'My friend,' said Hans, composedly stretching himself to slumber, 'itwas not nice even to mineself dot I should live after I haf seen dotroom mit der hole in der thatch. Und Bertran, he was her husband.Goot-night, und--sleep well.'