‘Dot stopped him,’ said Hans.  ’I learned dot trick in Mogoung Tanjong when I was collecting liddle monkeys for some peoples in Berlin.  Efery one in der world is afraid of der monkeys—­except der snake.  So I blay snake against monkey, and he keep quite still.  Dere was too much Ego in his Cosmos.  Dot is der soul-custom of monkeys.  Are you asleep, or will you 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 try your 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 in der dark’—­he pointed southward to New Guinea generally—­’Mein Gott!  I would sooner collect life red devils than liddle monkeys.  When dey do not bite off your thumbs dey are always dying from nostalgia—­home-sick—­ for dey haf der imperfect soul, which is midway arrested 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, und he was goot man—­naturalist to his bone.  Dey said he was an escaped convict, but he was naturalist, und dot was enough for me.  He would call all der life beasts from der forest, und dey would come.  I said he was St. Francis of Assizi in a new dransmigration produced, und he laughed und said he haf never preach to der fishes.  He sold dem for tripang—­beche-de-mer.

’Und dot man, who was king of beasts-tamer men, he had in der house shust such anoder as dot devil-animal in der cage—­a great orang-outang dot thought he was a man.  He haf found him when he was a child—­der orang-outang—­und he was child und brother und opera comique all round to Betran.  He had his room in dot house—­not a cage, but a room—­mit a bed und sheets, und he would go to bed und get up in der morning und smoke his cigar und eat his dinner mit Bertran, und walk mit him hand in hand, which was most horrible.  Herr Gott!  I haf seen dot beast throw himself 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 Bertran comprehend, for I have seen dem.  Und he was always politeful to me except 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 enormous paws—­ shust as if I was a child.  He was not a beast; he was a man.  Dis I saw pefore I know him three months, und Bertran he haf saw the same; and Bimi, der orang-outang, haf understood us both, mit his cigar between his big dog-teeth und der blue gum.