Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1878-08-30)

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Hornaday Orient Expedition_1878_08_30_b.jpg

the old fellow discovered himself & began to make off.
I quickly reloaded & fired again and then the men
put on all steam & drove the boat as fast as possible
into the water palms that grew thickly in the water all
along the margin of the river on both sides. I should have
told you that the river had become very narrow, the current
was swift and the land on all sides completely submerged.
</s Any > Along either margin grew a deep fringe of water
palms (don't know the name of it year), with stems as thick 
as a man's arm & continues growing in 20 feet of water.
Their stems were thickly set with spines, and altogether they
were very much of a nuisance.
     But we rammed the boat into them which cleared a
way like a wedge & grasping the yielding stems we tug-
ged frantically pushed them aside & pulled the boat along
as far as possible. I am bound to say all hands were greatly
excited, in a regular fever in fact to get on land before the
"mias" (</s native > common name here for Orang utan) could get
clean away. At last we came to a dead stop, the boat was
jammed fast. Directly I grabbed my rifle and went into
the water. There was not a speck of land in sight anywhere, 
but after swimming a few strokes I touched bottom and
waded along toward where the big trees grew. Two of the
Malays were close beside me & we waded along up to our
necks in water toward the tree on which we had last seen
the Orang. (N. B.  It is a mighty thing when hunting
orangs to have a rifle, brass cartridges and a big Waltham
</s wad > watch that will stand any amount of water. My
cartridges never miss fire no matter how deep the water is).
   We surged along, going miserably slow of course, until the
Malays pointed upward, and there sure enough was the Orang.
He was swinging himself slowly from one tree to another.
& I instantly fired. He seemed to wake up wonderfully at
that shot, & directly he swung himself along underneath
a long bare branch as a man swings himself along a
tight rope. We had a good view of him, and I am sure
he reached 6 feet every reach. His front was toward us,
& I fired again, & sent a bullet very near his heart.

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    But we rammed the boat into them which cleared a

way like a wedge & grasping the yielding stems we tug- ged frantically pushed them aside & pulled the boat along as far as possible. I am bound to say all hands were greatly excited, in a regular fever in fact to get on land before the "mias" (</s native > common name here for Orang utan) could get clean away. At last we came to a dead stop, the boat was jammed fast. Directly I grabbed my rifle and went into the water. There was not a speck of land in sight anywhere, but after swimming a few strokes I touched bottom and waded along toward where the big trees grew. Two of the Malays were close beside me & we waded along up to our necks in water toward the tree on which we had last seen the Orang. (N. B. It is a mighty thing when hunting orangs to have a rifle, brass cartridges and a big Waltham </s wad > watch that will stand any amount of water. My cartridges never miss fire no matter how deep the water is).

  We surged along, going miserably slow of course, until the

Malays pointed upward, and there sure enough was the Orang. He was swinging himself slowly from one tree to another. & I instantly fired. He seemed to wake up wonderfully at that shot, & directly he swung himself along underneath a long bare branch as a man swings himself along a tight rope. We had a good view of him, and I am sure he reached 6 feet every reach. His front was toward us, & I fired again, & sent a bullet very near his heart.