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"You die," suggested Nigel, venturing on a pleasantry, whereat Moses opened his mouth in a soundless laugh, but, observing the professor's goggles levelled at him, he transformed the laugh into an astounding sneeze, and immediately gazed with pouting innocence and interest at his plate. "Do you alvays sneeze like zat?" asked Verkimier.
After breakfast the whole party went forth for what Verkimier styled "zee business of zee day," armed with guns, spears, botanical boxes, bags, wallets, and butterfly-nets.
"Here he is," cried Moses, who was first on the scene, "dead as mutton!" "What! the professor?" cried Nigel in alarm. "No; de tiger." "Where's Verkimier?" asked the hermit as he came up. "I dun know, massa," said Moses, looking round him vacantly. "Search well, men, and be quick, he may have been injured," cried Van der Kemp, seizing a torch and setting the example.
"Truly, yes, when wounded and driven to bay," returned the hermit. "You must not judge of the creature by the baby that Verkimier has tamed. A full-grown male is quite as large as a man, though very small in the legs in proportion, so that it does not stand high. It is also very much stronger than the most powerful man. You would be quite helpless in its grip, I assure you."
It is dancherous to disobey zee Rajah ant I am sorry very sorry zat I cannot show you zee bootterflies to-day. No matter. Better lock zee next time!" 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.
"Mine frond," said the professor, turning his moon-like goggles full on the hermit. "I vill go viz you." "I should be only too happy to have your company," returned the hermit, "but my canoe cannot by any contrivance be made to hold more than three." "Zat is no matter to me," rejoined Verkimier; "you forget zee trader's boat. I vill go in zat to Sumatra.
"Mine frond," said the professor, turning his moon-like goggles full on the hermit. "I vill go viz you." "I should be only too happy to have your company," returned the hermit, "but my canoe cannot by any contrivance be made to hold more than three." "Zat is no matter to me," rejoined Verkimier; "you forget zee trader's boat. I vill go in zat to Sumatra.
"You vant a goot dose of kvinine," remarked Verkimier, when, having satiated himself, he found time to think of others not that the professor was selfish by any means, only he was addicted to concentration of mind on all work in hand, inclusive of feeding. The hermit paid no attention to anything that was said.
At all events Verkimier had reason to believe in the truth of it at that time, for adventures came down on him, as it were, in a sort of deluge, more or less astounding, insomuch that his enthusiastic spirit, bathing, if we may say so, in an ocean of scientific delight, pronounced Sumatra to be the very paradise of the student of nature.
Being fond of Verkimier, and knowing his desire to obtain a full-grown orang-utan, Gurulam went off early next morning to search for one.
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