The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-12-14

except the chatter of stray monkey, c
the hoot of an owl.
We seemed to enter into region {
semi-darkness, where the light was of
faint greenish black. l could feel tn
pupils of my eyes dilate in an effort t
condense the faint light filtered fror
above through the green, tightly-draw
curtain overhead, so that L might di.
tinguish the tree-trunks from Oshupr
for in that strange light every thin
seemed to move, and If stood still
became dizzy.
At about the third hour after sunrise
as nearly as 1 could Judge, the ligh
either became stronger, or my eyes be
came more accustomed to the gloom
and could see better than before. NJ,
guides, apparently, had found no diff
Guilty in seeing well all the time. TIL,
greatest caution and silence were oh
served, for our aim was to catch go
rilla asleep. / wished the natives tt
hunt him in their own style, and hello
my double eight" as reserve force tc
use in case of accidents.
l am an old stalker, yet my skill was
sorely tried in that labyrinth, in which
dead branches lay thickly about under
foot. After time the underground be.
came less dense, and Oshupu whispered
to me that this circumstance indicated
the presence of water, and that the ami
mails coming and going in all directions
kept the underground more or less trod-
den down.
Suddenly my guide stopped short,
and holding up his finger, crooked it
over his head, pointing to the left. |
turned my head in the direction indi-
Gated, and at a distance of about three
hundred feet away saw an immense ape
slowly moving through the trees on all
fours, swinging to and fro in manner
not unlike the plantigrade movement of
grizzly.
Oshupu reached his hand behind as
signal for me to move up to him, and
when / had done so, he said: "The
gorilla has fed, and is lazy. If he sees
us, he will run, and we shall never catch
up with him in this tangle. We must
rest here, and we will drum for his mate
and sleep. Then we shall catch him."
Accordingly we all sank down, only
Oshupu watching. Presently the muf-
fed sound of drumming was heard, as
if hand were beating hollow tree.
The natives say that the male makes
this noise to call his mate: this theory
naturalists do not authenticate, but af-
firm that it is only when the gorilla is
excited and angry that he drums, and
the natives say that he drums upon
hollow tree-trunk. and not upon his
chest as is currently believed. am not
able to give an opinion on this sub
ject. All / know is that / heard the
sound.
After time, at a given signal, the
natives spread themselves out, and MAX
ing long det0ur, surrounded the spot
where it was believed the gorilla had
stopped to rest. They were not mis-
taken, for on the edge of small glade
5he big brute sat fast asleep, with his
back against tree. With his head
allen to one side on his shoulder, his |
egs crooked in front of him, and his |
ong arms hanging by his side, he looked |
ike drunken, misshapen satyr. There |
vas no female gorilla to be seen.
We waited patiently for some min
ap'o' uhoii tbJChbloh was ultW W
some bright spots on the edge of the
mall clearing, which proved to be the |
pear-heads of the Fans, who had made |
he circuit, and were ready for the at
ack.
1t was deputed to young chief to
pen the encounter, and after pause he
from cover as near as he could
'et to the gorilla, but the thick under
.rowth compelled him to enter the
'lade at point farther away from the
,rute than he wished. He poised his
pear in his hand in readiness to throw
t, and, step by step, approached until
e was within thirty feet of the gorilla,
'hen suddenly the animal rolled his
cad from one side to the other.
Quick as flash the young chief
ropped to the earth, and lay motionless
mong the rank grass. The beast
reathed heavily, opened his eyes for
ne second, in dreamy, leery way, see
ng nothing, hearing nothing, but dimly
onscious that mischief was around.
lowly the chiefs head rose above the
rasses, and his leg was drawn up under
i'm to move, when ''crack" went rot
On twig beneath his hand or foot.
The ape was thoroughly aroused, and
gaping forward raised itself into an
partly erect attitude, with
nees bent, body STOPPING and feet {
Irncd in, and balanced himself in this ]
osition by swinging his heavy arms rs ;
ropc-walker does with his pole. The I
orilla invariably charges on all-fours,
nd not in an erect attitude, as so many ,
uthors have said, and this ape had c
lised himself to look around, and not |
18th any idea of charging just then.
If the young chief had lain still, all t
ould have been well but he was de- t
rous of showing off before me, and ac- ,
,rdingly rose to his feet, dashed his |
pear at tho brute. and made for the l
,ver Of the thicket. The spear went |
trough the arm of tho gorilla, which J
lstantly tore the weapon out bodily, t
ivagcly bit the wound and dashed on /
-l-fours after his assailant, with q hor- T
bic scream of rage. a
All the Fans on the opposite side of Y
,e clearing now boldly dashed in, C
lrowing their spears, or, rs they got t
ose enough to him, thrusting them a
to the brute's body. Wounds inflicted
ith snch weapons could not prove i'm
ediately fatal. and could only kill the =,
eature by causing loss of blood, as the
tai power of the gorilla is sogrcat that >
ZEN a riile-ball seldom arrests at once y
S hcadlong course.
If it had not been for the danger, this u