Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-17

ting roar and bounded forward. A few short steps. tremendous leap, two or three short, shafp growls, and both com hatants were in tlie air together, the gorilla having leaped high and straight IS the lion charged. In midair 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 sidling run to a distance of several yards. 1 could now see that the gorilla was severely wounded on the head and side, and that the lion had fearful gash in his side, for surely his ribs could never have withstood those two tremendous blows.
 AS soon as he regained his feet he charged at the gorilla again and again, but was eluded every time, it being al- most impossible to follow their rapid movements in the half light of the clear ing. At last the lion paused, and as he did so the ape dashed at him and, strik- him 8 stunning blow on the side of the head, completely rolled him over. Again and again the charges were renewed, and at every pause the gorilla returned the charge and knocked the lion sidewise. These blows seemed to daze the great cat, and as he rose he more than once stag gered and fell, the gorilla meanwhile dancing with rec'lliar bobbing move ment around and in front of him.
 The lion now began to make feints to draw his adversary within range At last, stopping in mad rush, the gorilla struck short, the lion rushed in, turned upon his back and received the gorilla with teeth and claws. Growls, snarls and roars pealed forth from whirling mass of leaves and dust; limbs and bodies cf through it, as though twenty beasts in- stead of two were engaged in one con- glomerate death struggle At last there was sickening crash, horrible crunch ing of bones, demouiacal yell of pain, faster and faster whirled the mass, then followed a pause. and l saw the lion was uppermost with the left arm of the gor- fila in his powerful jaws; his claws were 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 If for breath, and then the gorilla suddenly twisted his head under the lions throat, the hinder hands strengthened out with a nauseating sound of rending flesh, as with one swift stroke he completely disembow- | eletl the lion. There arose terrible cry of anguish, sudden swirl around, several l strokes of brown paws and dark, hairy | arms through the cloud of dust, and then all was over. The whirling leaves set tied, and there in death grip lay the l two mighty monarchs of the wilds. The lion was utterly disemboweled, his en- | trails having been seized by the prehen- sile hinder hands and literally dragged out by the very roots; while the lion, by a last dying effort, had succeeded in getting his throat freed from the gorilla's teeth, and with one powerful blow had smashed the ape's head, as a hammer does nick ory nut. There they lay, motionless, and and there we lay, too, fascinated, en- | thralled at the strange spectacle we had | just witnessed.
 Presently figure moving on the edge of the clearing attracted our notice, and we saw the female gorilla peering out be- tween the bushes, with an agonizingly human look upon her face that was dread full to see. Slowly and cautiously she ad- vanced across the open space until she reached the bodies; then she touched first one and then the other, uttering plaintive cries of grief that were touching in the ex. treme. At last she managed to disen- tangle the body of her mate, looked into the eyes, examined the wounds and, still crying, took it in her arms, and, labor iously dragging it across the open space, disappeared in the forest beyond. She was safe from my rifle. I would not have shot her for $l .000, GOO, and it was with a strange feeling of depression that turned my back upon the clearing, and following my guide left behind the scene of one oi the most interesting and vivid experiences of my not uneventful life,-W. P. Pond in New York Star.