Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1867-09-26

the natives have the WllOcst SuPeI>u'aoCs
about these wild men of the woods"
Suddenly, as we were yet creeping
along in silence which made the heavy
breathing seem loud and distinct. the
woods were all at once filled with the tre-
n,endous barking roar of the beast. Then
the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead.
and presently before US stood an Immense
male gorilla He had gone through the g
jungle on all fours. but when he saw our
party he erected himself and looked us
/ boldly in the face Nearly six feet high;
with an immense body, huge chest, ana
! great muscular arns, intensely black faca,
with hercely glaring, large deep gray
eyes, and hellish expression Of face.
which seemed to me like some nightmare
vision, thus stood before me the king of
the African forest He was not afraid OF
US, but stood there and beat his brsest
with his huge fists till it resounied like
sn immense bass drum. which ! found to
be his mode of dcfianca, meantime giving
vent TO roar after roar This roar OF the
/ gorils is the most singular and awful
noise heard in these African woods. ls
| begins like q sharp bark of an angry dog,
then glides into deep bass, which literal
" and closely resembles the roll Of Ant
thunder along the sky So deep Is that
it seems to proceed less from mouth and
throat than from the deep chest and vast
paunch His eyes began, to fash fer
Ger fire as we stood on the defensive, aud
the crest of short hair whicA stands on
his forehead began to twitch rapidly up
and down while his powerful teeth wer'
shown as he sent forth roHI. LIE nj
yanc2d few steps, then stopped to uttor
that hideous roar again and beat his chest.
sud finally stopped when at distance OF
about SIX yards from US; and here, Just
as he began one Of his roars, bcs,lng bis
breast in rage. killed him. Win
groan which had something terribly hu-
man in it, and yet full Of brutishness, he
fell forward on his face. The body shook
con vulsivrly for few minutes, the hnDs
moved about in a struggling way, and
then all was quiet-dcath hal done hs
work, and had leisure to examine the
BODY
Of the habits Of the gorilla, and tho
difficulty of tanning it, NJ Du Challla SAID:
The animal lives in the lonlelest atd
darkest portion IF the African langie.
prrfcrring lccp-wooied valleys and swan
NV soil 1t Is a restless or nomadic beast,
wandering from place TO place, and scarce
Ily found two DAYS i'll the same nclghbor-
hood This rcstlessncss ls caused by tn"
struggle it has to find It's fayorlte food =
For though the gorilla possesses such in-
mense canine teeth, and though hs Vnst
strength doubtle,- fit him to capture and
kill almost every animal winch trrquents
the forest he is II strict veEet"I1' Va IL
does not 1--we On trees indeed, liz enor-
mou. weight would prevent 1t from dong
so. Some Of the males must weigh 1ron
300 to 400 pounds BY the examination
of the stemachs of the many spcclm 'ns
have had, | was able to ascertain with
toerablc certainty the nature Of It's food.
and | discovered that 1t had no need TO
ascend trees 1t ID fond Of the heart ot
some trees, also of Kind Of nut with a
very hard shell
After my frat explorations said ths'
the gorilla was not grcgarlous. Ny last
Journey has demonstrated that Was wrong.
for have seen ten of them together. but
found them when adults almost always
one male with one female. When the
male becomes very old he wander7 COM
panionlcss In such case. with tho
rogue" elephant, IL is particularly mo-
rose, and mall li.uant and dangerous I"
iapproach. When in bands they are very
shy and then Difficult, to approach. as thcir
\ hear d is acute,
p Sometimes, ike the lion, the gorilla. 70
arnuse himself, roars and roa =, and IA
far \distancc | mistook this for nnut:or-
ing of thunder. One day found that IT
was male gorilla roaring to It's female
who. after a while could be heard with tt
weaker cry.
As APPROACHED could hear ths
docn drum-like sound caused BY beating
: his breast with his huge fist Presently
heard trees cracking, and snw through
;, the woods, how, \cvcry few minutes. "
snDling wa, swung about and then broken:
The gorilla has no other roar than that
. | have described. The female gorills has
1 never more than one young at time
The gorilla walks in an erect position
t with greater casc than the chimpany ,e.-r
: When standing up his knees are bent ut
c the Joint outward and his body stoops tor
4 ward. The common walk IF . gorilla ~
e not on his hind legs but ~ all tours.-
u In this position the arms are 20 long that
' the head and breast are raised consdtra-
u bly. and as he runs his hind legs ar"
It brought far beneath the body. lie can
{ run at great speed.
/, The adult gorilla is, think perfectly
c un.amable The young ones. 50 far az
: my experience goes, have never been able
e 10 tame. In no case could any treatment
c Of mine, kind or harsh, sublue these httlc
f monsters Constantly the enemy OF man,
rescntnc their captivity, young a. my
snecimcns wcrc-rcf,sins everything IN
: the shape Of civilized food and attacking
me with tooth and nail. even through
# was in most constant attendance upon
them finally dying without previous SICK
e ness or starving themselves to death, @.
= diving without other asccftsinshlo caus"
II than the restless cha6ng OF splrlt which
It could not suffer captivity nor the presene'
of man.
: Ey a, Placevilic Methodist minister
If went to a tin shop to buy a blowing born,
!. Selecting one. be asked the clerk whether II
n womb make loud nCi-er '.Oh. vt-