Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1867-04-12
lyliseellamn.
An Adventure With a Gorilla.

once upon u tiiHt, as tiie tilthc. ooo"'
say, while trading on the western coast of
Africa, in the equatorial region, ran my
vessel about twenty miles up one of the
rivers in that vicinity, and remained there
several weeks, having very profitable
intercourse with some of the inland tribes
of natives. A portion of my leisure time
spent 10 hunting through the thick
woods and dark jungles for which that
coast region is famous, and it was on one
of these excursions that first met liv-
ing gorilla.
NV guide was a native of the cannibal
species-black, low-browed, thick-skulled,
and but little removed from the brute an
imal himself. He could make himself
understood, however, knew the country
we'll, and stood in such salutary awe of the
wonderful white man, that ] felt perfectly
safe in trusting myself with him so far
beyond the reach of my friends, and in a
place where / would not have ventured
with any single one of my own country
men.
One day we had thus ventured off into
one of the deepest recesses of one of the
darkest and most tangled of juugles where
the spreading branches and leaves were
SO thick and dense that scarcely ray OF
the vertical sun could fad its way down
through them to the damp, malarous
earth beneath, when suddenly we were
both startled by succession of the wild,
est and most discordant shrieks had ever
heard-though with something human ii
the sound-accompanied by rustling of
and plunging through, the bushes ahead
of us, as if the creature, whatever it was
was hurridly making its escape.
AT the nrst sound we both stopped
the black trembling, frightened, and as
white as the nature of his skin would per.
NIT and cooking my double -barreled rife
| stood on the defensive, and at the same
time anxiously inquired what it was.
My guide replied in broken English
that he had picked up in his intercourse
with white traders, that it was terrible
gorilla and that unless we turned back a
once, and made good our retreat, W,
should probably never have the pleasure
of seeing our friends again.
had before heard some rather marvel
Gus accounts of an animal so-called, anc
said to bear a close resemblance TO man
and naturally felt hunters desire t
see with my own eyes, and, if possible
. add the skin of it TO my collection of Gu
riosiiies. Therefore was rather iu favo
: of going forward than back, believing tha
my steadiness of nerve quickness of sight
and the reliability of my two loaded bar
rels, would be sufficient to protect me fror
actual harm, to say thing of the assist
Il ance, in a strait, of my companion, wh
: was armed with a spear that he coul
throw with the force and precision of a
old harpooner.
s. Can't think of turning back for mer
gorilla, that has been so frightened at on
approach as to have fled away shrieking,
said I, in cool tone of contempt, intend
ed to reassure my guide and induce hir
> TO 90 forward. What, two brave hun
tiers, armed as we are, to run away fror
any beast that roams the forest I've VIII
have killed the big snake, the leopard an
) the crocodi'e Pshaw, Mocha that wi
never do-never lad F"
:" De snake him big" replied Moch'
with his teeth almost chatiering, and hi
eyes glaring upon the thickets all aroun
him de leopard him sabage; de croc
die him bigger but de gorilla-oo-oc
oofl him awful"
6" But we have not seen any gorilla yet,
said /; +" and if that animal that ran ava
: was one, we are not likely too, either"
? " Him woman ran-him man stop figt
!, him debil, MASTER"
d "Well, man, woman, or anything els,
/ Mocha, must see something before G
back frightened"
) master him see, no go back-him &C
ril kill master"
1 had by this time made up my mind
: go forward through the ihicket, even if
went alone; and ordering Mocha, in
y tone that admitted of no question, TO kee
n at my heels, as he valued his life, l resC
lutely advanced few PAGES, though
truth must be tod, not half so courageou
a. in feeling as / seemed in action.
:, But at the end of those few PAGES
e came 10 another sudden sand, for sa'
d a denser ihicket some fifteen or twent