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day, by those who capture Chimpanzees, or other large apes, inBorneo.
    The grand saloon in which the masquerade was to take place, was acircular room, very lofty, and receiving the light of the sun onlythrough a single window at top. At night (the season for which theapartment was especially designed) it was illuminated principally by alarge chandelier, depending by a chain from the centre of the sky-light,and lowered, or elevated, by means of a counter-balance as usual; but(in order not to look unsightly) this latter passed outside the cupolaand over the roof.
    The arrangements of the room had been left to Trippetta’ssuperintendence; but, in some particulars, it seems, she had been guidedby the calmer judgment of her friend the dwarf. At his suggestion it wasthat, on this occasion, the chandelier was removed. Its waxen drippings(which, in weather so warm, it was quite impossible to prevent) wouldhave been seriously detrimental to the rich dresses of the guests, who,on account of the crowded state of the saloon, could not all be expectedto keep from out its centre; that is to say, from under the chandelier.Additional sconces were set in various parts of the hall, out of thewar, and a flambeau, emitting sweet odor, was placed in the right handof each of the Caryatides that stood against the wall — somefifty or sixty altogether.
    The eight ourang-outangs, taking Hop-Frog’s advice, waited patientlyuntil midnight (when the room was thoroughly filled with masqueraders)before making their appearance. No sooner had the clock ceased striking,however, than they rushed, or rather rolled in, all together — for theimpediments of their chains caused most of the party to fall, and all tostumble as they entered.
    The excitement among the masqueraders was prodigious, and filled theheart of the king with glee. As had been anticipated, there were nota few of the guests who supposed the ferocious-looking creatures to bebeasts of some kind in reality, if not precisely ourang-outangs. Manyof the women swooned with affright; and had not the king taken theprecaution to exclude all weapons from the saloon, his party might soonhave expiated their frolic in their blood. As it was, a general rushwas made for the doors; but the king had ordered them to be lockedimmediately upon his entrance; and, at the dwarf’s suggestion, the keyshad been deposited with him .
    While the tumult was at its height, and each masquerader attentive onlyto his own safety (for, in fact, there was much real danger from thepressure of the excited crowd), the chain by which the chandelierordinarily hung, and which had been drawn up on its removal, might havebeen seen very gradually to descend, until its hooked extremity camewithin three feet of the floor.
    Soon after this, the king and his seven friends having reeled about thehall in all directions, found themselves, at length, in its centre, and,of course, in immediate contact with the chain. While they were thussituated, the dwarf, who had followed noiselessly at their heels,inciting them to keep up the commotion, took hold of their own chainat the intersection of the two portions which crossed the circlediametrically and at right angles. Here, with the rapidity of thought,he inserted the hook from which the chandelier had been wont to depend;and, in an instant, by some unseen agency, the chandelier-chain wasdrawn so far upward as to take the hook out of reach, and, as aninevitable consequence, to drag the ourang-outangs together in closeconnection, and face to face.
    The masqueraders, by this time, had recovered, in some measure,from their alarm; and, beginning to regard the whole matter as awell-contrived pleasantry, set up a loud shout of laughter at thepredicament of the apes.
    â€œLeave them to me! ” now screamed Hop-Frog, his shrill voice makingitself easily heard through all the din. “Leave them to me . I fancy Iknow them. If I can only get a good look at them, I can soon tell whothey