Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-27
AFRICAN PRIZE.FlCHTERS.
Danger of Hunting the Gorilla in the For
ests of the Dark Continent.

''The gorilla is the prize-fghter of
Africa" said Carl Steckelman, who
| has personal knowledge of the Dark
Continent. He had been speaking of
a 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 comparison with that in which one
must engage in meeting the gorilla"
/ he said. ''The gorilla is found in only
a comparatively small portion of West
ern Africa. He turks in the woods
! along the coasts for several hundred
miles north of the mouth of the Congo.
have never seen a gorilla in the open
country, and, by the way, think that
| the fact that he stays in the woods ac-
counts for the fact that he is almost a
! biped instead of quadruped. The
gorilla in passing through the forests
reaches out with his long arms, and,
Selling the branches of the trees, rises
on hind legs and walks on them, sup
porting himself with his hold on the
| branches. Habit has thus almost made
an upright creatures of him.
s'The gorilla is as brave as brave
can be. The male gorilla does all the
fighting for the family. If you ap-
proach a 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 does not know what fear is. He
will fight any number of men.
SLOW do you fight themP'
"With pistols. 1t is very unsafe to
trust to a gun or to a poor weapon of
any kind. The gorilla is so fierce and
powerful that you have but one chance
at him at best. The woods where he
i is found is so thick that it is almost
impossible to see him accurately at
any distance. If you fire at him as he
comes at you down the tree a limb
may turn the course of the bullet. Be-
fore you can fire secoud time he will
be upon you. He drops from limb to
limb, and comes at a rapid swinging
pace. The safest way is to hold your
fire until he is at arms length and
then fire steadily into him with a
pistol.
the gorilla is easily killed. An
ordinary pistol shot will have about
the same effect upon him as it has up
on man. The hunters's danger is in
not making the shot tell. Once was
passing through the forest with a BODY
! guard of natives. The natives are
| furnished by the Dutch traders with a
, 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 trig-
ger and fling the gun at the object
They throw the gun because they are
afraid it will explode in their hands,
as it very frequently does. Well, we
came upon a gorilla. A 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. Standing and throwing his
arms around the negroes 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
pistol ball into him at close range
But the wounds inflicted were mortal,
and the native died in great agony"
care the gorillas numerous in the
strip of country where they are found?"
'They are scarce. In making trip
once | 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
fealful warning by beating his breast
and giving forth sounds that make the
dense forest resound. He is a danger
Gus antagonist. and you are all the
time refunded by his appearance that
you are contesting with creature
that has mans faculties and appear
ance, a giants strength and mon
keys agility.-IadiandpoliS Meas.