Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-10
DUEL BETWEEN BRUTES.
STRANGE CONTEST BETWEEN A
GORILLA AND A LION.
The Giant Ape Challenged by the
King of Beasts-The Gorilla
Superior as Slugger.
Nv. P. Pond in New York Star l

hunter and the naturalist. To those who
know the face of nature, as it is before the
corrosive hand of civilization sweeps across
it, there is little ground for wonder that
the two are almost always in greater or
less degree united. Occasionally, then,
even the most ardent hunter will lose the
blood instinct that animates him, and.
lowering his rifle, perhaps in moment of
great personal danger, will forget his long
and laboriously sought quarry to watch
some new trait or fresh instinct in the ami
NAL that, unconscious of his presence. gam
bols before him. 1t is of such an episode
that | now write.
My guide and / had been for two DAYS
after big game with but little success, until
shortly after noon ON the second day we
struck what appeared to be one of the
dense patches of impenetralia that cannot
be described, but must be seen to be rnder-
stood. Behind us stretched vast avenues
of trees, the hight of which were lost in
the leafy clouds, which shut out the fierce.
burning glare of the sun and rendered
even the terrible noontide cool and pleas
ant. In front of us came the closer stems
and thick, INTERVENING growth of vines
and creepers, with stunted bushes and
long, pendant masses, impenetrable save
where some gigantic brute had crushed
passage through, leaving his tracks in
broken branches, crushed bushes and
thickly scattered twigs. Birds of gorgeous
plumage, with harsh, dissonant voices.
peopled the trees, the chirp of a grass
hopper, the sharp hiss of serpent, or the
shrill sound of locust rose from the
matted grass, with occasionally the boot
of an owl, or the chatter of stray mon
key, which sounded strangely in the pc
culiar silence Of the forest. AS we adj
vanced along the track slowly and
with great difficulty, we seemed
to leave them far behind, and entered
into region of semi-darkness, a faint,
greenish black light, as though the glori-
Gus sunlight overhead. baked in finding
direct inlet to the ground, had been filtered
through yards of close-growing green
foliage, and, unconquered by all the forces
of vegetation, had succeeded in sending a
faint, subdued semblance of itself, like
that found in some vast cathedral aisle.
My eyes struggled with the gloom and
seemed to have an instructive power to
dilate their pupils sufficiently to magnify
or condense the attenuated rays until they
were able to illumine the surrounding
Plutonian depths.
Ny guide suddenly paused and made a
sign to me with his open palm, which, in
the language of the hunter, said that he
had struck trail, or heard some token of
tho Of That
my less acute powers. | cautiously adj
yanced to his side, and following the direc-
ton of his finger, peered through the
brush, and saw that We lay upon the edge
of small clearing, overshadowed by an
enormous tree, whose foliage, without
really admitting greater volume of light,
seemed to equalize the CLEAN, and so rem
der objects at distance of so or 40 yards
perfectly perceptible.
Right opposite to us, with his back
against tree, was the sleeping form of
huge gorilla, his hands hanging down by
his sides, his legs crooked in front of him,
and his head listlessly lying sidewise on
his shoulder. Some distance from him
was the female, apparently busily engaged
in gathering nuts, swinging from tree to
tree, now disappearing into the surround
ing forest, but ever and anon returning to
keep watch and ward over the sleeping
lord and master. For some minutes /
hesltated as to what course to pursue,
whether to attempt to get any closer, as
the distance was rather a long one in such
light to attack an animal like the gorilla,
who, if only wounded, would in all proba-
bility, with the female, charge right down
int nc. .f I eho,,1I al
rely upon the second rifle of my guide
At last decided to take my chances where
l was but upon raising my rifle | heard
scream of agony from the female, which
caused the sleeper to start to its feet, and
as it did SO the female literally fell from
tree on the edge of the clearing, down to
the ground, uttering the most piercing
cries that human Imagination can con-
ceive.
Then a terrific roar that shook the ground
broke upon the silence and told the his
tory of the female gorilla's fright. 1t was
lion, and at the sound of his voice she
again fled into the tree, while the male
uttered deep, savage, hoarse roar that
was the answer to the lions challenge.
Immediately crashing sound was heard,
and full-grown lion bounded into the
open, and stood-his head erect, his name
bristling like the hair on a cat-the per-
sonltication of brute strength and courage
As his eyes lighted on the gorilla his
tail began to wave to and fro; wilder and
wilder grew its sweep, until at last it struck
its ribs, first one side and then the other,
with resounding blows, while roar upon
roar gave token of his increasing rage and
anger. The gorilla placed his upper hands
upon the ground and bounded into the air
fully six feet, alighting on his four hands
and bounding up again and again, SEEM
ingly for the purpose of engaging the lion
to the greatest possible degree He then
rose to his full hight on his hinder hands,
uttering tremendous roars and beating his
breast with his great fist, producing sounds
like those made by heavy blows upon a
bass-drum. Then ne dropped upon all
fours again, remaining perfectly motion
less, with the exception of his eyebrows,
which worked up and down with tighten
ing speed, giving an expression of ferocity
to his face that is Undesirable.
Fascinated at the sight, my rife dropped
from my shoulder, and my guide and 1 lay
Hat upon the ground, mute witnesses of the
tragedy about to be enacted. Suddenly the
lion uttered another ear-splitting roar and
bounded forward A few short steps, ire
mendous 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 terrific blows, and
bounded away with sliding run to dis
lance of several yards. | could now 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 two ire
mendous blows
As soon as he regained his feet he
charged at the gorilla again and again, but
was eluded every time, it being almost i'm
possible to follow their rapid movements
in the half light of the clearing. At last
the lion paused, and as he did so the ape
dashed at him and, striking him stun
ming blow upon the side of the head, COM
pletely rolling him over.
Again and again the charges were re-
newed and at every pause the gorilla re-