Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-03
OUT IN THE WILDS.
A Sailors Adventure With a Gorilla.

OUT in THE WILDS.
A Sailors Adventure With Gorilla
Once upon time as the primer books
say, while trading on the western coast
of Africa, in the equatorial region, I ran
my vessel about twenty miles up one of
the rivers in that vicinity and remained
there several weeks, having very profit
able intercourse with some of the inland
tribe Of natives. A portion of my leisure
time Ispent in hunting through the thick
woods and dark jungles for which that
coast region is famous, and it was on one
of those excursions that first met a liv-
ing gorilla.
My guide was native of the cannibal
species, black, low-browed, thick-skulled,
and but little removed from the brute ami
NAL himself He could make himself
understood, however, knew the country
we'll, and stood in such salutary awe of
the wonderful white man, that felt per-
fectly safe in trusting myself with him
far beyond the reach of friends, and in
places where would not have ventured
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 a
ray Of the vertical sun could find it's way
down through them to the damp, malari-
Gus earth beneath, when suddenly we
were both startled by succession of the
widest and most discordant shrieks
had ever heard-though with something
human in the sound-accompained by the
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 per-
mit-and cooking my double barreled
rifle, Istood 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 terrible
gorilla, and that unless we turned back
at once, and made good our retreat, we
should probably never have the pleasure
of seeing our friends again.
had before heard some rather marvel
GUS accounts of an animal so called, and
said to bear a close resemblance 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 Gu
riosities. Therefore was rather in IA
vor of going forward than back, believ-
ing that my steadiness of nerve, quick
ness Of sight, and reliability of my two
loaded barrels, would be sufficient to pro-
tect me from actual harm, to say moth
ing OF the assistance in strait of my
companion, who was armed with spear
that he could throw with the force and
precision Of an old harpooner.
"Can't think Of turning back for mere
gorilla, that has been frightened at our
approach as to have fled away shrieking."
said I, in cool tone Of contempt, intend
ed to reassure my guide and induce him
to go forward. "What, two brave hun
tiers, armed as we are, to run away from
beast that roams the forest-we who
have killed the big snake. the leopard and
the crocodile Pshaw, Mocha that will
do-never, lad!'
ode snake, him big replied Mocha,
with his teeth almost chatterine, and his
eyes glazing upon the thickets all around
him; ode leopard, him sabage; de croc'-
ollie, him bigger: but de gorilla-oo-oo
oof! him awful''
"But we have not seen any gorilla yet,"
said l ''and if that animal that ran
away was one, we are not likely to,
either
''Him woman run--him man stop
fght--him debil, master.''
swell, man, woman, or anything else,
Mocha, : must see something before 90
back frightened"
"Master him see no go back-him goril
kill master"
had by this time made up my mind
to go forward through the thicket, even
If went alone and ordering Mocha, in
tone that admitted of no question, to
keep at my heels, as he valued his life,
resolutely advanced a few PAGES, though
if truth must be told, not half so courage
GUS in feeling as seemed in action.
But at the end of those few PAGES I
came to another sudden stand, for I saw
denser thicket some fifteen or twenty
yards ahead, agitated by the moving Of
some heavy body within it, while almost
immediately there appeared, in plain
view, a monster Of such hideous appear
ance tina. felt the blood freeze through
my veins and gather about my heart, as
If appalled, by some horrible visitant from
the other world.
My powers IF description are limited,
but had I the language Of Milton or
Dante, could only hope to convey to
your minds faint idea of the hideous-
ness Of the living creature that now stood
before me; as to its voice-its tones of
warning, anger, and Defiance know not
to what they can be ikened, unless you
can imagine the bark of dog, the growl
of a tiger, the snarling of a wolf, the
trumpeting of an elephant, all united
and combined with sulphurous vomitings
from the regions Of Pandemonium.
In shape, he was like man, but like
man deformed-with monstrous big
chest and body, small head planted down
between his shoulders, large, long arms
and huge hands, and short thick bow-legs
terminating in hands instead of feet.
He stood erect like man, was nearly six
feet in height, and was covered all over,
face and all, with short black hair. His