Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-15
HOW TO FIGHT GORILLAs,
The Prize Fighters Of Africa.

From the Indianapolis News
The gorilla is the prize-fghter of Africa. {"
said Carl Steckelman, who has personal know
ledge of the Dark Continent. He had been
speaking of q leopard skin on exhibition in his
window and had been telling of the danger
encountered in fighting with the original
owner Of the skin.
Contests with all wild animals pale in COM
parison with that in which one must engage in
meeting the gorilla," he. said 1.-THE gorilla is
found in only comparatively small portion of
Western Africa. He turks in the woods along
the coasts for several hundred miles north of
the mouth OF the Congo. have never seen
gorilla in the open country, and, by the way,
think that the fact that he stays in the woods
accounts for the fact that he is almost biped
instead of a quadruped. You see the gorilla in
passing through the forests reaches out with
his long arms and, seizing the branches of the
trees, rises on his hind legs and walks on them,
supporting himself with his hold on the
branches. Habit has thus almost made an
upright creature of him.
'.The gorilla is as brave as brave can be. The
male gorilla does all the fighting for the family.
If you approach pair of gorillas the female
will run screaming through the woods or will
climb the highest tree, uttering all the while
cries not unlike woman In great fright. But
the male gorilla will come straight at you. He
number of men,"
How do you fight them?"
with pistols. 1t is very unsafe to trust to
gun or to poor weapon of any kind. The go
rilla is so fierce and powerful that you have but
one chance at him at the best The woods where
he is found is so thick that il is impossible to
see him accurately at any distance. If you fire
at him as he comes at you down the tree limb
may turn the course of the bullet. Before you
can fire q second time he will be upon you. He
Il ~ \
swinging pace. The safest way is to hold your
fire until he is at arms length and then fire
steadily into him with pistol.
The gorilla is easily killed. An ordinary
pistol shot will have about the same effect upon
him as it has upon man. The hunters danger
Is in not making the shot tell. Once was
passing through the forest with body guard
OF natives. The natives are furnished by the
Dutch traders with q miserable gun, the barrel
Of which is made of gas pipe. The natives
have learned to be suspicious Of their guns.
When they fire at anything they point in the
general direction, pull the trigger and fling the
gun at the object They throw the gun because
they are afraid 1t will explode in their hands,
as it very frequently does. Well, we came upon
gorilla. native saw him dropping from a
tree coming at us. Aiming at the descending
form, he fired and missed. He had not turned
before the grim monster was upon him. Stand
ing and throwing his arms around the negros
neck, the gorilla seized his throat in his man.
like jaws. and was crushing the life out of him
when we came up and fired a pistol ball into
him at close range. But the wounds inflicted
were mortal, and the native died in great
agony.
''Are the gorillas numerous in the strip of
country where they are found?"
''Ihey are scarce. In making the trip once I
saw two in one day. but that was unusual. They
are the fercest and bravest of animals. The
male gorilla, in going into battle, sounds
fearful warning by beating its breast and giving
forth sounds that make the dense forest re-
sound. He is a dangerous antagonist, and you
are all the time reminded by his appearance
that you are contesting with a creature that has
mans faculties and appearance, giants
strength and MONKEYS agility"