Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1869-02-19
Hunting the Gorilla.

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gorillas wore sure to be found, for there grew
apulpy pear.shaped fruit, tho fonda, of which
tho animal is very fond. 1t grows almost up.
on a level with the ground, aud is of q splen-
did red color. Not only were gorillas fond of
the fonda, but | myself liked it very much,
as did also the negroes. I am very fond Of
the subdued and grateful acid of this fruit.
The kind that grows, on tho sandy prairies of
the sea.shoro is not fit to eat. Many and
many times I would have starved in the for.
est without fonda
We were no. mistaken, for we ound every
where gorilla marks, and now and then VIC
could SEQ the hugo footprints of some old
monster, which probably would have come
aud offered us battle If he had been near at
hand at other places we saw where they had
seated themselves and been eating the fonda.
at another place near a little stream we dis
covered that a female gorilla and her baby
had been drinking, for l could sec the tiny
feet of the little one.
"Thero must be gorillas not far off," wills.
i'ered Maloucn into my ears, and at the same
time he looked carefully at his gun. Querlanen
and Gambo gave a chuoklo, and looked at
Maloucn and at me. We all listened in 81
%lence; we were then in one Of the thickes
and densest parts of the forest all was ap.
parently still, but the quick ear of Malaouen
had detected something, had heard a noise,
and he wanted to know the cause of it.
We were SO excited that our breathing was
loud and distinctly audible. We at once
cooked our guns, for We heard the moving of
branches just ahead Of us when 10 the for.
est resounded with the terrific roar of the 60
rilla, which made the very earth shake under
our feet. AS soon as the gorilla saw us he
stood up, and beat his chest with his power
full hands until it resounded like an immense
bass drum. His intensely black face was
something horrid to behold; his sunkcn deep
gray eyes looked like the eyes of a demon,
and he opened his mouth and gave vent to
roar after roar, showing his powerful canine
teeth. How big they were they were fright
full to look upon the inside of his mouth was
so red.
Il was a male gorilla, " real fighting fellow,
and was not afraid of us. How horrid he
looked as the hair on tho top of his head
twitched up and down, and he made the woods
ring with his awful roar until the forest was
full of the din
We stood in silence, gun in hand, and I
was ready to fire, when Malaoucn, who is a
cool fellow, said, Not yet" The monster,
according to thom, was not near enough. He
stopped for a minute or so, and then seated
himself, for his legs did not seem adapted to
support his huge body. The gorilla looked
at us with his evil gray eyes, then beat his
breast with his long, powerful and gigantic
arms, giving another howl Of defiance. How
awful was that howl! He then advanced IN
on US. Now lie stopped, and, though not far
oft, they al! said, "Not yet" I must OWL to
having been somewhat accustomed to see 60.
riilas. / was terribly excited, for 1 always
felt that, if the animal was not killed, some
one of lis would be killed.
l now judged he was not more than ten or
twelve yards from us, and I could see plainly
the terocious and fondish face of the monstrous
ape. 1t was working with rage his huge
WV Stouuu "S"lhoO CaCli OCueT, 10
that We could hear tho sound tho skin of the
forehead was moved rapidly back and forth,
bringing a truly dcvilish expression upon the
hideous face; then once more he opened his
mouth and gave a roar which seemed to shake
the woods like thunder, and looking us in the
eyes, and beating his breast, advanced again.
This time he was within eight yards from us
before he stopped again. My breath was
growing short with excitement as I watched
the huge beast Halaoucn said STEADY" as
he came up. When he Malaoucn said "Now,'
and before he could utter the roar for which
he was opening his mouth, thrcc muskct balls
were in his body, and he fell doad almost with
out a struggle. Gambo had not fired he
had kept his gun in reserve in case of acct
dent. edo not fire too soon. If you do not
kill him he will kill YOU" said friend Malaouon
to me-a piece of advice which l found after
ward to be literally true. 1t was a huge beast,
and a very old one indeed. Gorillas vary in
height like men. This one was over 5 feet G
inches. It's bare, huge, brawny chest measured
60inchcs round aud the big toe or thumb OF
its foot measured nearly 6 inches in circumfe