Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-03-01
Saint Nafq $ Beacon.
nv FIRST GORILLA MINT.
AN EXTRAORDINARY DUEL BETWEEN
THE GIANT APE AND A LION.

In the gloomy IecenseS VI the PEALn-
eyal forests still 10 be found in Gen.
trail Africa there is q vast UNEMPLOYED
field still stretching forth its unmeas-
ured space to the hunter and the nat
uralist. To those who know the face
o! nature as il Is before the corrosive
hand Of civilization sweeps across it,
there is little ground for wonder that
the two are almost always in a great
er or lesser degree united. Occasion.
ally, than, even the most ardent hun
ter will lose the blood instinct that
animates him. aud, lowering his rifle,
perhaps in q moment Of great personal
danger, will forget his long and labor
iousIy sought quarry to watch some
new trait OF fresh instinct in the ami
NAL that, unconscious Of his presence,
gambols before him. It is Of such an
episode that I 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 APP
peared 10 be one Of the dense patches
Of impenetralia that cannot be des'
cribed, but must be seen to be under
stood. Behind us stretched vast ave-
nues oftrees, the height Of which was
lost in the leafy clouds which shut
out the fierce, burning glare Of the
sun, and rendered even the terrible
noontide cool and pleasant. In front
of us came the closer stems and thick,
INTERVIEWING growth of vines and
creepers, with stunted bushes and
long pendant masses, impenetrable
save where some gigantic brute had
crushed a 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 grasshopper, the sharp hiss
of serpent, or the shrill sound Of a
locust rose from the matted grass,
with occasionally the boot OF an owl,
or the chatter Of stray monkey,
which sounded strangely in the pecu-
culiar silence IF the forests.
AS we advanced along the track,
slowly and with great difficulty, We
seemed to leave them far behind, and
entered into a region of semi-dark-
ness, a faint greenish black light, as
though the glorious sunlight overhead.
baked in finding a 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 tue
gloom and seemed to have an instinc-
tive power to dilate their pupils suf-
ficiently to magnify or condense the
attenuated rays until they were able
to illumine the surrounding Plutonian
depths.
My guide suddenly paused and
made 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 the proximity of
game that had escaped my less acute
powers. cautiously advanced to his
side, and following the direction ofhis
finger peered through the brush. and
saw that We lay upon the edge of a
small clearing. overshadowed by an
enormous tree, whose foliage. without |
really admitting a greater volume OF
light, seemed 20 equalize the CLEAN. |
and so render objects at distance of |
thirty or forty yards perfectly percep-
tible.
Right opposite to us. with his back
against tree, was the sleeping form
Of a huge gorilla, his hands hanging
down by his sides, his legs crooked
in front of him, and his head listless-
ly lying sidewise on his shoulder.
Some distance from him was the fe.
male. apparently busily engaged in
gathering nuts, swinging from tree to
tree, now disappearing into the sur.
rounding forest, but ever and anon
returning to keep watch and ward
over the sleeping lord and master. |
For some minutes I hesitated as to !
what course to pursue, whether to at |
tempt TO get any closer, as the dis
lance was rather q long one, in !
such a light, to attack an animal like |
the gorilla, who. if only wounded,
would in all probability. with the fe- |
male, charge right into US; or if / |
should take all risks and rely upon
the second rifle Of my guide. AT last
! decided to take my chance where
was, but upon raising my rife heard
n scream Of aOonv from 4ha e.,,.Io