Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-01
AFRICAN pRIze.F,eHIeRs.
Danger OF Hunting the Gorilla in the
Forests or the Dark Continent.


"Thc gorilla is the prize-fghter OF
Africa" said Carl Steckelman, who
has personal knowledge of the Dark
Continent, TO an Indianapolis News re-
porter. He had been speaking OF a
leopard skin on exhibition in his win
dow, 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
h, said. "The gorilla is found in only
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.
L have never seen a gorilla in
the oren country, and, by the way, l
think that the fact that he stays in the
woods, accounts for the fact that he is
almost biped instead Of n quadruped.
You see the gorilla in passing through
the forests reaches GUS 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 ali the fight
u
pair of gorillas the female will run,
screaming through the woods, or will
climb tho highest tree, utterIng all the
while cries not unlike u 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,"
"How do you fight them?"
with pistols. 1t is unsafe to trust
to gun or to n poor weapon OF any
kind. The gorilla is so fierce and pow
erful that you have but one chance at
him at the best. The woods where he
is found is so thick that it 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 second time he will be upon YOU
He drops from limb to limb, and comes
at 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 or
dinary pistol shot will have about the
same effect upon him as it has upon n
man. The hunters danger is in not
making the shot tell. Once | was pass
ing through the forest with n body
guard of natives. The natives are fur
nished by the Dutch traders with
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 tree coming ut u.s.
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 negro's 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 in
flicted were mortal, and the native died
in great agony"
Are 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 or animals. The male gorilla,
in going into battle, sounds fearful
warning by beating its breast and Civ
ing forth sounds that make the dense
forests resound. He is dangerous an
tagonist, and you are all the time re-
minded by his appearance that you are
contesting with creature that has a
mans faculties and appearance, a gil
| ants strength and a monkeys agility
To err is human, but you make no
mistake if you use DR.. Jones' Red
Glover Tonic for dyspepsia, costiveness,
bad breath, piles, pimples, ague and
malaria, poor appetite, low spirits, or
diseases of the kidneys, stomach and
liver. so cents. Goodman Drug Co.