, 1875-03-06
The SokO.

Four gOrillas, or sokos, were killed
yesterday; an extensive grass-burning
forced them out of their usual haunts
and coming on the plain they were
speared. They often go erect, but place
the hand on the head rs if 10 steady the
body. When seen thus the soko is an
ungainly beast. Other animals, especial
ly the antelOpes, are graceful, and IL is
pleasant to see them either at rest or in
motion; the natives are also we'll made.
1.-THE and cOmely 10 behold, but the sokO,
If large, would do well TO stand for pict-
ure of the devil. He takes away nv ap-
petite by his disgusting bestiality OF ap-
pearance. His hgbtyellow face shows
of his ugly whiskers and faint apology
for beard; the forehead, villaInoUsly
low, with ears, is We'll IN the backgr0uni
OF the great d0g-mOuth; the teeth are
slightly human, but the CANNES show the
beast by their large Development The
hands, or rather the fingers, are like those
of the natives. The flesh of the feet is
yellow, and the eargerneSs with which
0@NyUeuA& deVoOcS 4 2e&ccs t2se icoqceS-
SION tbat eating sGRHs wBs BE dFSt stage
BY which IhcY arriYr6 If briDg c8Dnibals
They say the flesh is delicious. The sOkO
is represented by some TO be extremely
knowing, successfully stalking men and
women while at their work, kidnapping
children and running up trees with them
he seems 10 be amused by the sight of
the young native in his arms-but comes
down when tempted by a bunch of ba-
nanas, and as he lifts that drops
hA
such a case would cling closely 10 the
arm-pit OF the elder. One man was cut
ting out honey from 4 tree, and naked, |
when S0kO suddenly appeared and
caught him; then let him 90. Another
man was hunting and missed his attempt
To stab a sOkO. Ii seized the spear and
broke it, then grappled with the man,
who called to his companions: "SoK0
has caught me- The soko bit off the
ends of his fingers and escaped un
harmed. Both men are now living in
Bombarre. The soko is so cunning and
has such sharp ewes that no one can stalk
him in front without being seen; hence,
when shot ii is always in the back. When
surrounded by man and neIs he is yen
orally speared in the back, too. Other
wise he is not a very formidable beast.
He is nothing as compared in power Of
damaging his assailant to leopard or
lien, but is more like man Hnarmed,
for it does not occur TO him to use his
canine teeth, which ar. long and tormd-
able. Numbers OF them come duUn IN
the forest within a hundred wards Of our
camp, and would be unknown but fos
giving tongue like foX-hounds. THIS IS
their nearest approach to speech. \
man hOeing was stalked by a SokO and
seized He rOarcd out, but the Sok0
giggled and griRaed, and Lett him, IS ii
he had done it in play, / child
caught up by a sOkO IS often
abused by being pinched and scra'chet
apd let fall The soko kills the leop
erd occasionally by securing both paws
and biting them SO as To disable them.
He then goes up tree, grodrS over hIs
wounds, and sometimes RECEIVERS, while
the leopard dies. At other times both
sokO and leopard die The lion Kills him
at once, and sometimes tears his limbs
off, but does not eat him. \ very large
suko was seen by MOhamad's hunters
sitting picking his nails. They tried 10
stalk him, but he vanished Some Man
yuema think that their buried dead rise
up as sokos, and one was killed with
holes in his ears, as if he had been a
man. He is very strong, and fears guns
but not spears. lie never catches women.
He takes out spear, but never uses II,
and draws out some leaves and StuhS
them into his wound TO stanCh the
blood; ne does not wish an encounter
with an armed man. He sees women do
him no harm, and never molests them;
man without Il spear is nearly safe Tor
him. They live in communities OF about
ten, each having his own female, an in
truder from another camp is beaten off
with their fists and loud yells. If one
tries 10 seize the female of another he
is caught on the ground, and al unite in
boxing and biting the offender. \ male
often carries a child, especially if they
pass from one patch of forest to another
over grassy space; he then gives it TO
the mother. From "LiCiRgst0Re's Last
Journey" IN AppLet0a's Journal