New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-30
The Death of ehe Gorilla.

The capture Of an infant gorilla is thus graph
cally described by Du Chaillu:
| On the 4th of May had one of the greatest
| pleasures Of my whole life. Some hunters who
had been out on my account, brought in young
gorilla alive. cannot describe the emotions with
which | saw the struggling little brute dragged
into the village; all the hardships had endured in
Africa were repaid in that moment 1t was little
fellow of between two and three years old, two
feet six inches in length, and as fierce and stub
born as grown animal could have been.
By the hunters account they were going five in
number, to village near the coast, and walking
very silently through the forest, when they heard
what they Immediately recognized as the cry OF
young gorilla for its mother The forest was
silent. 1t was about noon and they Immediately
determined to follow the cry. Presently they
heard it again. Gun in hand, the brave fellows
crept noiselessy toward clump of wood, where
the baby gorilla evidently was. They knew the
mother would be near ana there was likeliho1d
there too But they determined to risk all, and, if
possible to take the young one alive, knowing
what joy it would be for me. Presently they
perceived the bushes moving, and. crawling a
little further on in dead silence scarce breathing
with excitement, they beheld what has seldom
been seen, even by the negroes, a young gorilla,
sitting on the ground, eating some berries that
grew close to the earth. few feet further on sat
the mother, also eating of the same fruit.
Instantly they made ready to fire, and none too
soon, for the old female saw them as they raised
their guns, and they had to pull triggers without
delay, Happily, they wounded her mortally, and
| she fell. The young one hearing the noise of the
gun, ran to its mother, and hiding his face, and
embracing her body. The hunters Immediately
rushed toward the two, hallooing for joy as they
ran on. But this reused the little one, who in
stanty let go his mother and ran to a small tree
which he climbed with agility, and where he sat
| and gared at them saVagely. They were now
perplexed how to get at him; no one cared to run
the chance of being bitten by the savage little
beast, and shoot it they would not. At last they
cut down the tree, and as it fell deXrously threw
cloth over the head of the young monster and
thus gained time to secure it while 1t was blinded
With all these precautions, one of the
ceiVed severe bite on the hand, another had a
piece taken out of the leg.
AS the little brute, though 50 dimnutve, and the
merest baby for age, was astonishingy strong,
and by no means good temperesR&hey could not
lead him. He constantly rushed 1t them, so they
were obliged to get q forked stick in which his
neck was inserted in such way that he could not
escape, and yet could De kept at a safe distance.
In this uncomfortable way ne was brought into the
village, where the excitement was Intense. AS
the animal was lifted ont OF the canoe, in which he
had come q little way down the river, he roared
and beloved, and looked round wildly with his
wicked little eyes giving fair warning that if he
could only get at some Of US, he would take his
revenge.
saw that the stick hurt his neck, and I i'm
mediately set about having cage made for him.
In two hours we built strong bamboo house with
the Stats securely tied at such distance apart that
we could see the gorilla, and it could see out.
Here the thing was imme dately deposited, and
now, for the first time, had fair chance to ex-
anime my prize. It was a young male gorilla,
evidently not three years old, fully able to walk
alone, and possessed FORTS age, of most extraor-
binary strength and muscular development.
Du Chaillu having Gagged his prisoner tried to
make friends with it. This, however, the captive
seemed to think, was adding insult to injury. 1t
retreated, sulenly roaring to the forthermost cor
ito md han rtd hi yn1la
preached to reassure it, darted at his legs, and,
despite nimble retreat, succeeded in catching Du
Chaus trowsers in his terrible grip, and tearing
piece out.
A cup of water and some forest berries were
procured for the prisoner, and when the company
had retired out of sight he condescended to take
his dinner. On the second day, however, he was
even more vndctive and outrageous than the first.
No could go near his cage without he roared
and leapt and mouthed, as though nothing short of
rendng his enemies to little bits would ever pacify
him. Food was thrust between the bars of his
cage to no purpose; he would neither eat nor
drink, and met all advances with the most obsti-
nate contempt.
On the fourth day he managed to knaw his bars
asunder, and the prison was discovered empty.
The utmost CONSERVATION prevailed in the camp,
the hands were called together and re-capturing
expedition resolved on. However, the cunning
Zoe $50 Chaillu christened him. had not strayed
far. Returning to his room to fetch gun, terri
BILE, yet to the explorers ears delicious growing
enanated from Deneal1 the DeQSteau, aud there
was Master Joe Gorilla cr0uched down and re-
garding his master with an unmistakable touch
me-if yOu-dare y expression
How to take him was puzzling question. He
had shown such strength and such rage already,
that not even ] cared 10 run the chance of being
badly bitten in hand to hand struggle. Mean
time Joe stood in the middle of the room, looking
about for his enemies | dispatched some fellows
for net, and waiting till he became quiet, opened
the door quickly, and threw the net over his head.
Fortunately we succeeded at the first throw in
fatally entangng the young monster, who roared
frghtfuIly, and struck and kicked in every direc-
ton under the net. took hold Of the back OF his
neck, two men seized his arms and another the
legs and thus held by four men, this eXtraordn-
airy little creature still proved most troublesome
We carried him as quickly as we could to the cage
which had been repaired, and locked him in.
Poor Joe, however, died soon after. aud this
first attempt to bring living gorilla to Europe OF
this country failed.
Frederick Bustiat.