The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-27

Lecture, in Back Island, ~ Hons. DuonaaAu.
The Traveller Holas that the Beast il not =
's1faa aid Brother"
Similarity between the Gorilla and the
3D. Negro.
Mons. P. B. DuChaiilu, the celebrated
African traveller, Thursday evening, id
Darts Hall, delivered his lecture pPon THE
Gorilla, its habits and natural affinity to
man." A large audience vas present. The
lecturer was INTRODUCED to the audience by
Mylo Lee, ESQ, president of the Young
Mems LIBBY Association, and spoke as
follows
On the coast Of Africa, near the equator,
there is a large tract of UNEMPLOYED country.
Gigantic jungle extends north and south of
the equator. Three kinds of ape are found
in those forests. among them, the king of
them all, the gorilla. Hanno, of Carthage,
undertook voyage, it is said. six centuries
before Christ. His route lay on the eastern
coast of Africa, and his journal speaks of
an island filed with wild men,-otherwise
gurillas. Three women were taken, but they
bit and scratched so hard that they had to be
killed. Therefore, to Hanno belongs the
credit of discovering the gorilla. The speak
er first thought the gorilla Of Hanno was the
Chimpanzee, but was, on his third journey,
convinced that his discovery and Hannois
we're one and the same. When he started
into the country, he was unaccompanied by
white man, none being found willing to
accompany him. The FIRST time he saw a
gorilla it was in the midst of dense jun
gle, where there were marks of the cane
having been chewn. The natives with him
| uttered cries of terror at the evidences of
the monsters presence, but the speaker was
| overjoyed never more excited in his life,-
| which showed the difference between people
| on the same subject. As they neared a
| huge block Of granite, they saw the foot
| prints of the monsters. Himself and guides
| separated, going on different sides of the
rock. Unfortunately, the guides were seen
| before they saw, and he had the satisfaction
! Of hearing four gorillas utter cries half hum
an, half deyilish, and of seeing them get of
and away as fast rs possible.
| The natives give to the gorilla the fierce
ness of the beast and the intelligence of
man. The speaker did not exactly accept
this theory; but was glad to learn what the
| natives thought about it. He took great in
| terest in wonderful stories they told of men
and women carried away, regular attacks
| planned and carried out; but generally took
but little stock in it. He at length reached
| the country where they roasted the leg of a
man for breakfast. Here he was treated
kindly, and here he saw his first gorilla.
| One day,in the jungle, he heard the breaking
of branches, and on pushing forward, crawling
on his belly saw the branches move and heard
them swapping in the hands OF veritable
male gorilla. The beast stood there, the size
of a man, with long. brawny arms, giant
| hands, and fierce gray eyes. 1t uttered cries
remarkably similar to the human voice, and
it seemed not in the least afraid Of the men.
At last he fred, and the huge animal fell to
the ground with "a groan ssarfully human
1 fear seized him, and his teeth came together
in a most uncomfortable manner. The nat
| ives hardly knew what to think of man
| who could kill the great gorilla, and predict.
ed that one of such power would be likely to
| go into the woods and lay siege to the heart
of female gorilla, and elope with her,-a
queer style of love making, thought he.
| He had but one of his men killed by O
| gorilla. This was south of the equator,
| where, in the forest, his man Gambo was
| sent ahead to explore the route. They
| heard, some distance ahead, the report OF a
gun, followed by human voice, and this
| succeeded by the gorilla roar. On fastening
| forward, they found Gambo lying dead in a
pool of blood, the gorilla standing over him,
| crushing and bending the gun-barrel as tho
it had been twig. He was so much affect
| ed at the death of his guide that he resolved
to follow and kill the gorilla. He did So
and narrowly escaped the fate of the native
but, when the monsters huge hand was al
most brushing his face, he pulled the trigger
| of his rife, and the murderous king of the
| forest lay at his feet hfeless.
| In the dense forests through which he was
compelled to pass, he was frequently whole
| days without seeing a single beast which
| could be eaten for food. He occasionally
| INDUCED in monkey meat, not by any means
| palatable morsel, but quite acceptable and
| to his taste when it was all there was TO be
had. In all, he had killed male gorilas
| % females. and young ones. The flesh
was decidedly similar in appearance to the
| human flesh As to the similarity in taste
he could not say, never having tasted the
former, but the natives declared that the
roasted leg of gorilla and that of human
| being were so nearly alike that you could
scarcely tell the difference.
The usual weight of the male gorilla was
about 400 pounds, the female being much
smaller, and having less bone. The male
gorilla sleeps with his back towards the tree
which accounts for his short hair in that por
ton of the body. In fact, he is seldom foune
in any other position, whether watching the
female or scratching his back. The roar o
the gorilla begins like the barking of dog
and ends like the roaring of distant thunder
The speaker made 'little noise" in imita
ton, which he assured his hearers was veal
indeed. One dav, in walking through the
woods, he heard roar, which he though
was coming storm, but soon found it to b.
a gorilla. He looked carefully to the prim
ing of his gun, for it would not do to mis-
fire, under the circumstances. He proceeded
on until he came to several young saplings
six inches in size, which were broken in two
It was difficult to conceive why he should Sc
amuse himself, until he learned that thes,
trees contained certain kind of gum whiel
the gorilla had weakness for. and which t.
procure he must break the sapling.
i He did not deem it possible to tame the
ladult gorilla; at least, no instance of the
lind has been recorded. The young gorilla
, INST be taken from its mother before any
E thlns can be done with it, He had seen 8
| amllJgroup of the mother and child with
the fath.r watching over them, which he haC
not the hesrt to break up by shot from his
rlhe, SO human did they seem.
!. Sixty tImeshe had tried to take the pilot
| Opraph of No.. Ill. "a - Al