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There both species were exhibited by the itinerant jugglers for both the sun-bears can be easily tamed and trained and these men stated that they had procured the "big bruang," in the woods of Borneo. Since, then, he was there to be found, why go to Sumatra in search of him? They had still travelling enough before them; and they were beginning to get tired of it.
The bruang, having finished his meal, was seen coming down the tree tail foremost; and in this way would no doubt have continued on to the ground; but, before he had got halfway down the trunk, Ivan's impatience got the better of him; and the loud bang of his fowling-piece filled the forest with its echoes. Of course it was a bullet that Ivan had fired; and it appeared that he had missed.
In this position, he held the "scarecrow" out at the full length of his arm; and, giving the stick a punch, set it erect in the ground. The bruang, from his elevated perch on the tree, could not fail to see the object though the hunter himself was still concealed by the huge leaves that drooped over his head. Alexis, now cautiously, and without making the slightest noise, stole away from the spot.
He was too distant for the party at the bottom of the tree to note the expression upon his countenance; but his attitude told them that he had made some discovery. Shortly after he came down; and reported this discovery in laconic phrase, simply saying: "Bruang see him!"
The bruang was still crouching upon the crown of the palm; but he did not stay there much longer, for a volley fired at his white breast toppled him over from his perch; and he fell to the bottom of the tree as dead as a stone.
The hunters knew that "bruang" was the Malayan name for bear; and the coincidence of this word with the sobriquet "Bruin" had already led them to indulge in the speculation, as to whether the latter might not have originally come from the East? They did not stay to think of it then: for the guide, on regaining terra firma, at once started off telling them to follow him.
True, they might fell the tree: they had an axe, and could soon cut the tree down as the wood was soft; but the Dyak alleged that the bruang in such cases usually contrives to escape.
Is the ursus arctos of Europe confined to these limits? Are the bears of South America? the sloth bear of India and Ceylon? the bruang of Borneo? and his near congener, the bruang of Java and Sumatra? Why, these last are actually dwellers among palm-trees as the cocoa-planters know to their cost!
It was more rarely met with than the orange-breasted variety; but the natives, generally better guides than the anatomists in the matter of specific distinctions, stoutly maintained that there were two kinds; and the Dyak bee-hunter whose interest had been secured by the ample reward already bestowed upon him promised them, that if they would go with him to a certain district of country, he would show them the larger species of bruang.
Of these, two varieties are said to exist, one of which, specified by the name ursus sibiricus, is also found in Lapland and Siberia." "Go on, brother! Where next?" "From Kamschatka we shall make a long traverse to the south-west. Our best hunting-ground will be Borneo." "Ah! the beautiful little bear with the orange-coloured breast!" "But there is another Bruang?"
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