Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-03-26
A SAILORS ADVENTURE WITH
A GORILLA.

Once upon time, as the primer DOCKS
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 a very prof
liable intercourse with some of the in
land tribes of natives. A portion of my
leisure time spent in hunting through
the thick woods and jungles for which
that coast region is famous, and it was
on one of these excursions that / first
met living gorilla.
My guide was native of the cannibal
specles-black, low. browed, thick.skulled
and but little removed from the brute
animal himself He could make himself
understood, however, knew the country
well, and stood in such salutary awe of
the wonderful white man, that / felt per-
fectly safe in trusting myself with him
so far beyond the reach of friends, and
in a place where / would not have ven
tured with any single one-of my country
men.
One day we had thus ventured off into
one of the deepest recesses of one of the
darkest and most tangled of jungles,
where the spreading branches and leaves
were so thick and dense that scarcely
ray of the vertical sun could find its way
down through them to the damp, mala.
rious earth beneath, when suddenly We
we're both startled by succession of the
widest and most discordant shrieks |
had ever heard-though with something
human in the sound-accompanied by a
rustling of and plunging through, the
bushes ahead of US, as if the creature,
whatever it was, was hurriedly making
its escape.
At the first sound we both stopped
the black trembling, frightened, and as
white as the nature of his skin would
permit; and cooking my double barreled
rifle, | 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 a terrible
gorilla, and that unless we turned back
at once, and make good our retreat, we
should probably never have the pleasure
of seeing our friends again.
/ had heard before of some rather
marvellous account of an animal so
called, and said to bear close resem-
blance to man, and / naturally felt a
hunters desire to see with my own eyes,
and, if possible, add the skin of it to my
collection of curiosities Therefore | !
was rather in favor of going forward than
back, believing that my steadiness of
nerve, quickness of sight, and the relia-
bility of my two loaded barrels, would |
be sufficient to protect me from actual
harm, to say nothing of the assistance,
in a straight, Of my companion, who was
armed with a spear that he could throw |
with the force and precision of an old |
harpooner.
"Can't think of turning back for a
mere gorilla. that has been so frightened |
at our approach as to have fed away
said /, in cool tone of con-
tempt, intending to re-assure my guide
and induce him to go forward. +" What,
two brave hunters, armed as we are,
to run away from any beast that roams
the forest I'VE who have killed the big |
snake, the leopard and the crocodile!
Pshaw, Mocha that will never do
never, lad !"
'De snake him big" replied Mocha,
with bis teeth almost chattering, and his
eyes glaring upon the thickets all around
him; "de leopard him savage, de croc-
die him bigger but de gorilla--oo'oo-
Oofl him awful
"But we have seen no gorilla yet"
said / "and if that animal that run away
IS one, we are not likely to, either"
"Him woman ran-him man stop fight
him debil, master,
"Well, man, wolhan. or anything else,
Mocha, must see something before GO
back frightened" "
master him see, no 90 back-him
yoril kill master. I
! had by this time made up my mind
o 60 forward through the thicket, even
{ / went alone and ordering Mocha, IN
. tone that admitted no questions, to
,eep at my heels as he valued his life, l
esolutely advanced few PAGES, though,
{ the truth must be told, not halt so
.ourageously in feeling as seemed in
letion.
But at the end Of those few PAGES
,arae 10 another sudden stand, for ! saw
denser thicket some fifteen or twenty
ards ahead, agitated by the moving Of
ONE heavy body within it, while almost
there appeared, in plain
-iew, a monster Of such hideous appear
nee that / felt the blood freeze through
ny veins and gather about my heart, as
appalled, hy some horrible visitant from
be other world.
Ny powers Of description are limited
ut had the language Of a Milton or a
)ante. could only hope 20 convey 10 !
-.- IL. f.s-f IL, 81 fbo hifaoue. Z Z