Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-02-29

anger Inc Roriii" plaCeu his upper
hand upon the ground and bounded
into the air fully six feet, alighting
on his four hands and bounding up
again and again, seemingly for the
purpose of enraging the lion to the
greatest possible degree. He then
rose to his full height on his hinder
hands, uttering tremendous roars and
beating his breast with his great fist,
producing sounds like those made by
heavy blows upon bass drum.
Then he dropped upon all tours again,
remaining perfectly motionless with
the exception of his eyebrows, which
worked up and down with lightning
speed, giving an expression of feroc-
ity to his face that is indescribable.
Fascinated at the sight, my rife
dropped from my shoulder and my
guide and lay fat upon the ground,
mute witnesses of the tragedy about
to be enacted. Suddenly the lion ut
tered another ear-splitting roar and
bounded forward. A few short steps,
a tremendous leap, two or three sharp,
short growls. and both combatants
were in the air together, the gorilla
having leaped high and straight as
the lion charged. In mid-air the
lion turned and struck apparently
vainly at the gorilla, who. as the lion
fell on his side upon the ground,
alighted on him, struck him two ter
rife blows and bounded away with a
siding run to distance of several
yards. | now could see that the
gorilla Was severely wounded on the
head and side, and that the lion had
a fearful cash in his side, for surely
his ribs could never have withstood
those tremendous blows.
As soon as he regained his feet he
charged at the gorilla again and
again, but was eluded every time, it
being almost impossible to follow
their rapid movements in the light of
the clearing At last the lion paus-
ed, and as he did so the ape dashed
at him and, striking him Il stunning
blow upon the side of the head COM
pletely rolled him over. Again and
again the charges were renewed, and
at every pause the gorilla returned
the charge and knocked the lion side
ways. These blows seemed to dazc
the great cat, and as he rose he more
than once staggered and fell, the
gorilla meanwhile dancing with a
peculiar bobbing movement around
and in front of him.
The lion now begain to make feints
to draw his adversary within range.
At last, stopping in mad rush, the
gorilla struck short, the lion rush
ed in, turned upon his back and re-
cived the gorilla with teeth and claws.
Growls, snarls and roars pealed forth
from a wbirling mass of leaves and
dust; limbs and bodies strangely
mingled were dimly seen through it,
as though twenty beasts instead Of
two were engaged in one conglomer-
ate death struggle. At last there
was sickening crash, horrible
crunching of bones, a demoniacal
yell of pain, faster and faster whirled
the mass, then followed pause, and
/ saw the lion was upmost with the
left arm of the gorilla in his power
full jaws his claws was fixed in the
apes shoulder and he himself was
one mass of gashes and rents. The
right hand of the gorilla was fixed in
the lions side, and both his hinder
hands were drawn up and seemingly
imbedded in the lions ribs.
There was moments pause, as il
for breath, and then the gorilla sud
denly twisted his head under the
lions throat, the hinder hands straigh.
tened out with nauseating sound OF
rending flesh, as with one swift stroke
he completely disemboweled the lion
There rose terrible cry of anguish
a sudden swirl around, several
strokes of brown paws and dark
hairy arms through the cloud of dust
and then all was over. The whirling
leaves settled, and there in death
grip lay the two mighty monarchs OF
the wild. The lion was utterly dis
embowelcd, his entrails having beer
seized by the prehensile hinder hands
and literally dragged out by the very
roots while the lion, by last dying
effort, had succeeded in getting bis
throat freed from the gorilla's teeth
and with one powerful blow had
smashed the apes head, as hammer
does hickory nut. There they lay
motionless, and there we lay, too fas.
cinated, enthralled Mt the strange
spectacle we had just witnessed.
Presently figure moved on the
edge of the clearing attracted oul
notice, and we saw the female gorills
posring out between the bushes with
an agonizingly human look upon he'
face that was dreadful TO see. Slowly